


Who are you really Emily?

by Dragonposeidon



Series: Starship Runway [1]
Category: Starship Promise (Visual Novel), The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: Canon - Video Game, F/F, Future, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-18 03:56:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 24,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21521449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonposeidon/pseuds/Dragonposeidon
Summary: Emily Charleton cuts the breath of Andrea Sachs when she saved her from impending death! Andrea wants to know more about the redhead, but dive into the past of it opens a Pandora's box. Is Andrea ready to face the danger to get closer to Emily?
Relationships: Emily Charlton/Andrea Sachs
Series: Starship Runway [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1551169
Kudos: 10





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Given the number of comments on this subject on all my stories, I will change the style of my writing so that the quotation marks become the words and the (...) thoughts in italics, that will do one chapter at a time 
> 
> I also specify that only my story of the assistant of Minerva has a beta (thank you again seriesly ) so the rest of my stories could still have faults, hoping that this does not prevent you from appreciating them

_(No, no, no ... that's not how today had to go!)_

Andrea Sachs thought, she is a young woman with long brown hair and brown doe eyes, for the moment she is running in alleys trying to avoid the Vogue Empire soldiers who suddenly invaded her Charnaty colony.

_(Ugh, it's all my fault, if only my parents were here with me ... no, no, Andy, you can handle that yourself.)_

Andrea runs into a chaotic street, keeping her brown eyes riveted on the revealing red of Vogue uniforms.

_(How are they already so many?)_

She breathes hard, wishing to take her physical form a little more seriously. She takes a few seconds to rest, leaning against a wall, listening to the cries of panic in all Charnaty.  
"I have to go to Elias-Clarke headquarters before Vogue catches me!" The young woman resonates. "They need to know what I know!"

_(I'm too used to talking to myself in my lab ...)_

Andrea pushes against the wall to keep running, but at the corner of the street, she feels a powerful hand grab her by the neck! 

The most terrifying human being she has ever seen holds her back before letting her fall to her feet. The dark-haired man runs into shambles and with almost black black eyes and no heat launches Andrea a derisive look and shakes his head.  
"So you're the rat we're chasing?" He said. "What a desappointment."  
"Me? No, I'm nobody, I ..." nervously Andrea.

The look on the man's face drops the words of the young woman's mouth.  
"Do not lie to me, Sachs! Dr.Wintour, the greatest spirit of the Galactic Liberation Front, wants to talk to you."

_(Does he mean Vogue?)_

Andrea becomes even more nervous.

_(I have to find a way to get away from him!)_

The heart of the young woman beats in her chest, the blood flows to her head.  
That's when dozens of Vogue soldiers emerge from nowhere!  
"I think you have the wrong person ..." try Andrea.  
"I assure you that I do not make mistakes," cut the man.

He rushes forward, moving faster than Andrea has ever seen. His fingers wrapped around the arm of the young woman, seizing her like a vice!

_(How is he so strong? It's as if he was metal!)_

Andrea struggles helpless against the grip of the man, her heart sinks deeper and deeper into her chest.

_(It's impossible for me to get out of this, is it? He's going to take me to the Vogue empire, and they're going to torture me, and lock me up, and ...)_

The young woman hyperventil, the edges of her vision fades while the reality of her situation really hits her. Just then, the man's whole body is shaking, and he's gone flying away from Andrea! Several Vogue soldiers are led by the same explosion.  
"What is ..." panting Andrea.

She turns to see who or what has just saved her. Standing on a stack of fainting Vogue soldiers, is the most beautiful woman Andrea has ever had. 

Her medium-length red hair flutters around her face with porcelain skin, showcasing emerald green eyes.

_(Did she eliminate all those soldiers herself?)_

The red-haired woman holds a gun looking like a huge gun that probably weighs more than Andrea.

_(I do not know what just happened, but I think this woman might actually be more intimidating than the other guy, she does not seem to want to capture me or torture me, which makes her certainly more attractive.)_

Andrea opens her mouth to thank the red-haired woman, but she does not give her that chance. She grabs the brunette's hand and stares intently at her green eyes.  
"We have to move," she said. "Come with me if you want to have a chance to survive."

Even this woman's voice is strong.

 _(I'm pretty sure she could say anything now and I'll agree with that.)_  
"Okay," Andrea answers, her cheeks turning pink.

The man with brown hair in shambles gets up, somehow succeeding to appear even more furious than before. He sees Andrea's mysterious savior and her anger turns into shock.  
"You...?" He said, shaking his head. "No it's impossible..."

_(Does he know that red-haired woman?")_

Andrea looks at the other woman, but there is no trace of recognition on the porcelain face. Then the redhead begins to run dragging Andrea, still holding her by the hand. The redhead shows the way as Andrea and they make their way through the streets and deeper into Charnaty.

_(She runs with such grace and yet so much power!)_

Andrea can hardly follow the other woman, even if she feels that she is trying to slow down for her. In addition to that, the redhead pulls her huge gun as if nothing had happened.

_(Who is this woman?)_

The red-haired woman drives the Vogue soldiers away as they try to crush Andrea and her, and for a moment, Andrea thinks they might be able to escape. Then Andrea looks behind her, like an idiot, and she sees the man catching them at a frightening pace.  
"Oh, draft!" She breathes frightened.

The red-haired woman looks back, but her expression does not change.

_(Is anything bothering the feathers?)_

Something in the way the redhead collects helps Andrea to think that there may still be a way out of this situation. The strength of this woman is contagious and the brunette feels that she can perhaps do something too.

_(Come on, Andrea, use your big nerdy brain.)_

In advance, Andrea sees a security barrier and the inspiration hits her.  
"Hold on!" Said she to the red-haired woman. "I can help, win me just a little time!"

Without a word, the redhead turns on itself in a fluid movement. She starts shooting, forcing the man to take shelter, slowing his lead.  
"Wow," Andrea breathes. "It'll do it, yep."

"Work quickly," said the other woman.

Not wanting to disappoint her savior, the brunette opens a nearby command panel. With which son reconfigure and about eight line of code typed in a console ...  
"BAM!" Exclaims Andrea proud of herself.

An electric fence vibrates to life, cutting off Andrea and the red-haired woman of the man who pursues them.  
"Yeah, try your luck on that one!" Andrea laughs.

The man growls, always running towards the barrier!  
"Euh ..." makes the brunette uncertain.

The man stops right in front of the fence and Andrea jumps back with an embarrassing scream.  
"Hey!"

However, it does not seem that the man can pass and the young woman breathes a sigh of relief. The red-haired woman looks at Andrea.  
"Good job," she said.

 _(Hell Yeah, she said good job!)_  
"I, uh ..." the brunette is trying to answer.  
"Come on, we can not stop here."

Andrea and the red-haired woman continue to advance, but fortunately at a more relaxed pace. Now that the brunette can breathe properly, she decides to try talking to the other woman.  
"So ... uh, hello? My name is Andrea Sachs, you can call me Andy, like everyone, who are you? Oh, and thank you for saving me!"

 _(Shut up, Andy!)_  
"Emily Charleton, and nothing," says the redhead.  
"It's a pleasure to meet, listen, I really need to leave Charnaty, you see, I have information with me, and if Vogue gets hold of it it could potentially lead to the destruction of the galaxy, and ..."

Andrea stops talking when she realizes that Emily is looking at her, her green eyes are fixed again. Looks like she's thinking about what the girl is saying, but all Andrea thinks is how redhead's eyes are hypnotic with beauty.  
"I work on a ship," said Emily. "Follow me and we can make you leave this colony."

Emily's voice pulls Andrea and she follows the other woman voluntarily.  
"Just like that?" Ask the brunette.  
"Your mission is important and there is no malicious intent in you," said the redhead.  
"Oh! Wow, it's a lot to take ... but thank you, thank you very much."

Emily is an unstoppable force of nature as Andrea and she head for the spaceport, the red-haired woman eliminates the remaining Vogue soldiers, left, right and center.

_(Vogue's soldiers are not joking, but she's in a different line, where did she learn to move like that?)_

Andrea watches as Emily uses a wall to jump three soldiers, catching them unawares even before one of them has a chance to fire a single shot. Further on, Emily shoots a structural weak spot that buries several more soldiers in one second, rendering them incapacitating.

_(It's really like nothing could stop her!)_

The two women go to the spaceport completely unscathed. Andrea is a little out of breath, but Emily does not even seem to panic. A ship in the spaceport stands out. He is old and worn, and the crew in front of him is involved in a gun exchange with Vogue soldiers. Emily and Andrea begin to head straight for the ship, so the brunette assumes it is the one of the redhead.  
"Rest near me, Andy," Emily said crossing the Vogue soldiers.

The woman's blaster shots join those of the crew, repelling the soldiers of the empire. The team visibly relaxes when he sees Emily arrive and one of the members calls her.  
"Em! Have a good time! We have to get out of here!" Exclaims an exotic woman with brown hair pulled in a ponytail, with silver eyes all dressed in red.

The rest of the crew take advantage of Emily's arrival and begin to retreat into the ship, barely looking at Andrea. The young woman and her rescuer arrive at the ship, Emily continuing to eliminate the vogue soldiers as a speedrunner in a video game. The red-haired woman pauses long enough to meet and make a gesture towards the ship.  
"It's the Runway!" Said she to Andy.  
"It's perfect ..." the brunette smiles.

_(Any ship offering a departure from here would be.)_

Emily agrees, as if she agrees with Andrea, but does not let go of the approaching soldiers.  
"Let's go aboard as much as we can," said the red-haired woman.

While Andrea and Emily are both on the bridge, one of the crew members, a royal-haired woman with short white hair and amazing blue eyes, turns to the annoyed brunette.

_(Why do I immediately feel like a student in trouble?)_

She is incredibly beautiful, in this healing style, but her face is far from nice. In fact, this woman looks quite extinct by the arrival of Andy.

 _(What have I done to this woman before?)_  
"Emily?" Said the royal woman, her lips pursed and her eyes irritated. "Who is it?"  
"I ... uh ... Miranda ... it is of the most importance that we take it with us," the redhead answers, seeming slightly intimidated by the other woman.

Before the royal woman dressed in blue, like the tint of her eyes, can not add something ... an explosion at the other end of the space port announces the arrival of the man with the hair in disorder, followed by a dozen Vogue soldiers.  
"Well," the woman named Miranda. "We do not have time for these idiots, everyone aboard, Nigel, get us out of here! And move at an icy pace that makes me vibrate."

Emily starts firing at the new Empire soldiers as they retreat to the Runway ship. Once the three women and the rest of the crew are all aboard the Runway, Emily speaks.  
"Let's move!"

The ship begins to lift even before the doors are completely closed. Andy looks out the window as the messy-haired man yells and points, ordering Vogue soldiers to intercept her and Runway's crew.  
"Well ... guys?" Made Andy nervous.

Emily glances through the same window as the brunette.  
"They're preparing explosive weapons, Nigel, shoulder-mounted particle guns at four, six, and seven o'clock, and an eight-hour plasma gun, should I engage?"

The only man in the group, the bald head, chic glasses and a flight pilot jacket ...

_(Probably Nigel.)_

... shake his head.  
"It's good," he said to Emily. "We will be out of reach before they can fire."  
"If I knew there would be so much problem," sighs the exotic woman in red. "I will not have taken this bonus."

_(Are they premium hunters?)_

The blue woman named Miranda turns to Andy, scrutinizing her suddenly with intensity. The young woman moves instinctively to Emily, as if the redhead was going to protect her from the white-haired woman.  
"So ... who are you?" Asks the royal woman.  
"My name is Andrea Sachs, Andy actually, and I ..."

 _(What am I saying, I need your help to save the galaxy?)_  
"And? Go at an icy pace, you heard me say how it makes me vibrate," said Miranda exasperated.

Emily shakes her head, putting a gentle hand on Andy's shoulder.  
"We should maybe, first out of the empire," she suggests to Miranda.

Without warning, Runway's ship propels himself forward and the brunette almost loses her balance. Apparently satisfied for the moment, the royal woman shifts her attention to the ship, leaving Andrea looking out the Charnaty window, the only place she's ever known to walk away.

_(In which universe did I put myself ...?)_


	2. The destiny of the galaxy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy meets the Runway team, explains why they need help and an agreement is reached

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the first chapter, your comments are always appreciated

**Andy is almost stuck to the window of Runway and she looks further and further from Charcinaty, that it to say far from home...**

_(I never left my colony before, and now I watch it shrink away.)_

Something soft suddenly touches Andy's leg and a puzzling squeak escapes from her lips. A big green and brown animal rushes into the shadows. The young woman feels all the crew's eyes fall on and she stiffens.  
"So, Em, what's up with this girl?" Ask the exotic woman to dress in red.  
"I hope for you that you have a good reason to bring her aboard MY ship," said the royal woman dressed in icy blue, while pinching her lips.  
"Of course, Miranda," Emily answers quickly. "She has valuable and dangerous information in bad hands."  
"You have all my attention," smiles the woman in red with a Brazilian accent. "These are my two favorite words."  
"Slow down, Serena," replies her captain.

_(So, the Brazilian is Serena, I'm going to disconnect her.)_

Miranda studies Andy carefully.  
"I'm Miranda Priestly, I'm Runway's captain," she said. "I want you to know that Emily and the one and only reason I'm willing to listen to you, so ... tell me about this information you have."

Andy's belly twists around herself as she wonders what she's really been into.

_(Concentrate on breathing, Andy, that's why you did all those meditation exercises.)_

Despite all his efforts, Andy can not calm her heart or her brain.  
"Okay," she said nervously. "I knew an engineer and I work on what I thought was a pretty standar private contract, we developed tools and program, in isolated cells, which made me curious, so I hacked their secure files to throw At a glance, it turns out that what they were working on was a kind of weapon for Vogue, like ... not just a big gun or anything, but an entire army, I've told my parents, who were working on the same project, we destroyed all the data and the prototypes, but we kept a copy, they went to warn Elias-Clarke, but ... well, they disappeared, and then Vogue has arrived, and now I think I'm the only person who can bring this information where it needs to be ... the fate of the entire galaxy could be at stake!"

Andy finally stops her speech.  
"She's quite genuine, Miranda," Emily said. "There is no trace of malice or ulterior motive."

The captain seems to understand what the redhead is saying. She looks at the youngest and shakes her head.  
"To be frank," said Miranda. "It has nothing to do with us."  
"It's not my style to leave a pretty girl in distress," sighs Serena, looking sorry. "But ... Miranda for good reason, we just do not have the resources."  
"Another person on board the ship means more fuel, more food and more oxygen," the captain added with her arms crossed. "A detour would be risky."  
"That's not to mention catching Vogue's attention," said the pilot Miranda called Nigel during the take-off.

_(Are not they really going to help me?)_

Andy looks at Emily with puppy eyes, but the other woman is completely neutral, there is no expression on her face.  
"We can drop you at the nearest Elias Clarke outpost," Miranda said. "That's all we can do for you."

_(Elias-Clarke ... outpost? It's not going to help me! I do not have money to go anywhere important!)_

Andy forces herself to look at everyone, even if all she wants to do is to melt in a puddle.  
"I do not understand," she said with tears in her eyes. "This information could save billions of lives!"  
"Here's the thing, Andy," Nigel said. "We are what we could call freelancers, keep a ship and a crew like this in good condition is expensive ... it's nothing personal, just the way things have to be done, so if we help you, what does this bring us?"

 _(What do I look like? An interstellar bank? I do not have the kind of amount they're looking for! Go Andy, think about it, with what can you motivate a group of money-hungry space fripples?)_  
"I can not believe you're talking about money when the literal fate of the galaxy is at stake!" Exclaims Andy. "How can you be so heartless?"  
"It's not about being heartless, silly girl," Miranda replies. "It's about running out of fuel in the dark depths of space, it's about running out of food for days, paying for repairs that keep the Runway running."

So just like that, inspiration hits the brunette.  
"We are talking about information likely to saved Elias-Clarke, here you think they do not compensate you for that?"

This attracts the attention of any Runway.

_(I do not really know if it's true, but technically I do not promise them anything ...)_

The crew exchange a lot of looks that seem significant, although Andy can not say what it means.  
"I admit that it has been a little hard to find a contract recently," Serena said thoughtfully and smiling at the prospect of a big payday. "We could use a job like this, especially after the end of the contract with Paryspus Sept."  
"Runway is late for a bunch of repairs for which we did not have the money ..." Nigel mentions. "If she is right about the value of the information, it might be worth it."

All Runway turns to Miranda.  
"Well," said the captain. "It's as close to a consensus as I think we're going to get, Emily you trust her?"

The redhead looks at Andy again, her green eyes staring at the young woman.

_(Why do I suddenly feel so exposed?)_

Emily seems to be looking for something, the brunette can not say what exactly. Then, seeming to find her, the redhead nods.  
"I do."

It's a relief for Andy to hear these words from her savior.  
"So, it's acceptable for me," confirms Miranda.

 _(Wow, does Emily's opinion mean that much for Miranda?)_  
"You can stay for now, Andrea," accept the captain. "But remember, this is MY ship and YOU are a guest, behave yourself."

 _(They will really help me? I can not believe it!)_  
"Yes Miranda," said Andy. "Thank you, thank you very much."  
"Elias-Clarke's money will be a sufficient thank you," said Serena, smiling.  
"Of course, that means Vogue is going to shoot us," Nigel says.  
"I can handle all the Vogue soldiers who get in our way," Emily replies. "Do not worry."  
"If anyone can do it, it's you, Emily," Miranda answers neutrally. "I would not even think about facing Vogue if I did not have the best galaxy shooter in my crew."

Andy looks at Emily again. No part of her doubts that the redhead is all that Miranda seems to believe. After all, she saw the woman in action.

_(My Knight in shining armor ...)_

The younger's cheeks flush with thought.

_(Where does this idea come from?)_

Emily raises an eyebrow, almost as if she knew what Andy was thinking, and the brunette takes a deeper red hue.  
"Thanks, Miranda," said the redhead, looking at once delighted and timid with the compliment of her captain.  
"If this work pays as well as Andrea says, we will thank you," Miranda replies.  
"You have a way drawn, Miranda?" Nigel asks. "Do you want to confirm it?"

Miranda checks the card Nigel shows her, and nods.  
"It will be fine," said she. "Direction the headquarters of Elias-Clarke."

Serena gets up from her seat and starts to get out of the cockpit.  
"Call me, if you need me," she said. "I have things to do."  
"I'm not sure that weight lifting matters," Nigel replies, chuckling. "But kill yourself."  
"Hey, a body like this one asks for work," does Brazilian.  
"Not for me," says Emily.

Serena rolls her eyes and walks away.  
"I'm going to read a little," Nigel said.

**He leaves too, leaving Miranda, Emily and Andy on deck...**

It is obvious that the captain looks at the brunette from the corner of her eye.

 _(Is she still so suspicious, or is there something at home that she does not like?)_  
"Emily, Andrea has no reason to stay on deck," said Miranda to the redhead. "Go bring her somewhere ... but watch over there."  
"Yes Miranda," Emily answers. "Come with me, Andy."


	3. I want to know you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy and Emily have a discussion, the young woman learns more about her savior and Runway has a problem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot about Emily is a little understand
> 
> Little chapter
> 
> Do not hesitate to comment

**Emily returns to the ship's body and stops in a comfortable lounge...**

_(Is it a jukebox there, how did they get such a vintage item? No, it's not important at the moment, I have bigger things to worry about.)_

The big furry thing from before goes through the ground, but Andy still does not see it properly.

_(Is this ship infested with a kind of space monster?)_

The young woman's shoulders relax and her brain decides that it's a good time to remind her that she is now far from home and that she does not know any of these people.  
"Take a seat, Andy," Emily told her. "It's okay, you can relax."

_(Oh hubble, am I so obvious?)_

Andy settles in one of the sofas, surprised by his comfort.  
"Sorry," she said. "I'm just ... thanks, for saving me and defending me."  
"It was the most prudent course of action," Emily says.  
"Correct ... Hey, what were you doing on Charnaty?"  
"Follow a premium," says the redhead. "The presence of Vogue made it unworkable, however, everything worked for the best, thanks to the contract you provided us."

 _(Oh yes ... the contract ... I wish it was as certain as that.)_  
"You're very tense, Andy," Emily observes.

The other woman nods slowly.  
"I'm worried," admits Andy. "A lot has happened and I do not really know how to deal with it."  
"The things have very quickly evolve today," confirms the redhead.  
"Yeah, I guess I did not really stop moving since my colony was attacked, I'm worried about what will happen to everyone there."  
"Very likely, they will run a minimal danger if they make no effort to resist Vogue," reassures Emily. "You were the target, after all."

 _(I know ... everything is my fault ...)_  
"I'm worried about my parents too," Andy said. "I do not know what happened to them, where they are, or how well they are doing."  
"If Vogue had captured them," said Emily. "They would not have sent you the army as they did, a simple killer would have been enough."

_(Um ... is that supposed to make me feel better?)_

Andy takes another look at Emily, trying to find out what the other woman thinks. Emily never seems to show any signs of emotion, but she is not cold.

_(I think she's trying to show that she cares, in her own way?)_

The young woman realizes she does not know anything about the redhead.

_(Maybe everyone is like that from where she comes from ... Although it's unorthodox, I feel a lot better knowing that she's trying to comfort me.)_

Andy smiles softly at Emily, but she's staring at her now.

 _(What?)_  
"Uh?" Makes the brunette uncertain.  
"Remove your blouse," said the redhead.  
"Sorry?"

_(Why does she want me to take off my blouse? She's probably not ...)_

Andy's face starts to warm up, which only makes things worse.

 _(Come on, no, she does not even know you!)_  
"You're hurt," Emily says. "Let me see."  
"Oh..."

 _(I did not even know I was hurt ...)_  
"Of course," Andy said. "Thank you."

She takes off her lab coat, leaving it in a black, gray and turquoise tight tank top. Emily gets closer, Andy tries not to focus on her intimacy. There is already a big bruise on the brunette's arm.  
"How are you... ?" Andy is surprised.

She shudders involuntarily when Emily li's fingers graze the arm, the contact causing a shock.

_(Cool, Andy!)_

Emily catches a first aid kit and starts applying a soothing gel to Andy's bruise.  
"Ah!" Does the young woman.  
"What's wrong?" Asks the redhead.  
"It was ... it was cold ..."  
"Oh, I thought I hurt you."  
"No, no," reassures Andy. "All is well, how did you know I had been hurt?"

Emily smiles distantly and begins to wrap the bruised part of Andy's arm with a bandage.  
"I am different," said the redhead.  
"What kind of different?" Andy asks interested.  
"I have improved senses," Emily answers. "I have abilities that most humans do not have."  
"You what?" Do the brunette making a mega-watt smile. "It's so cool! Is it because of where you come from? Or... ?"

Emily shakes her head.  
"Honestly," do it. "I do not know where I come from, there are many things in my past that I do not know, but I have these abilities for as long as I can remember."  
"Oh, it must be super weird, right? Do not you know where you come from? Where do your abilities come from?"

Emily looks at Andy for a few seconds and the young woman starts to worry about getting into the dishes, again.  
"I guess it is," Emily said simply. "I never really try to find out, it never mattered to me."  
"You are not curious?"  
"The curiosity has little interest in this job, my role is to ensure the safety of Runway members, what my abilities make possible, it's good enough for me."  
"Huh ..."

_(How can you not be curious though?)_

A million additional questions run through Andy's mind and her curiosity is at war with her desire not to upset Emily.

_(I mean, if she does not care, she probably would not want to answer questions about it, right?)_

Emily finishes grooming Andy's arm and walks away, just like that, the conversation is over.

 _(Well, maybe I could ask for another time ... or maybe the others know more? Or maybe it's weird to be interested in a woman's story as much as I have only known for a few hours.)_  
"How is the bandage?" Emily asks. "Is it too tight?"  
"No," Andy answers. "It's perfect, thank you."  
"It was very basic first care."  
"You did not have to, so thank you."

Emily considers this for a moment then nods.  
"Welcome," she said.

Andy puts on her lab coat and the two women sit in awkward silence for a little while. The redhead does not seem to care, but Andy just feels like the biggest dork in the galaxy.

_(That's why I've never attended parties, bars or anything like that, interpersonal skills are definitely not my strengh.)_

Suddenly, Emily clasps her hands to her temples, leaning over with an expression of pain on her face.  
"What's wrong?" Andy worries. "Are you okay?"

_(Was it something I did?)_

Emily shakes her head, slowly exhaling.  
"Danger," she said simply.  
"What?" Andy does not really understand.

Andy looks out the window and, to her surprise, sees dozens of Vogue ships approaching Runway.  
"Oh, Hubble ..." she's scared.


	4. Insomnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy meets Patricia, a rest time for the Runway, Emily room and Andy's is full of questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always don't hesitate to comment

**Emily and Andy return to the bridge...**

Andy is a little unstable, even if Emily looks completely good.

_(Of course she is fine, when is this woman not doing well?)_

Without warning, the big green and brown thing jumps on Andy.  
"Ack!" Exclaims the terrified young woman.

The thing rushes into the arms of Emily frightened by the cry of Andy, it ends up looking at the creature. It looks like a space dog with green fur spotted with brown, large flexible ears and curious brown eyes.

 _(It would be almost cute if it didn't randomly jump on me!)_  
"What is that?" Ask Andy.  
"It's Patricia," said Emily. "And don't worry, she's harmless, in fact she already seems to love you."

_(Yay?)_

Emily sets down Patricia and the space dog jumps onto a deck chair, then heads straight for Serena, who is affectionately scratching the alien.  
"Nice shot, Em," said the Brazilian. "Even by your standards, were you looking to impress someone?"  
"I was just doing my job," Emily replies.

Serena's smile weakened a little at that.  
"It was really too close for my taste," said Miranda.  
"I agree," Nigel agrees. "I don't think the Runway can resist another altercation like this."  
"How are our invisibility shields going?" Asked the captain.  
"Eh well, I kept them for an emergency," sighs the man. "But I imagine the timing is just as good for that."  
"Hey, if this job pays as well as expected, you can recharge the batteries with your change," says Serena.  
"Andy repaired the guns," said Emily. "In the middle of the battle, nothing less."

Miranda turns to Andy, surprised.  
"You repaired the gun?"  
"Only temporarily," replies the young woman. "I had to bypass some of the systems, and this will put a lot more wear and tear on the important parts until the damaged fabric is replaced."  
"Hey, Em," hisses Serena impress. "You really know how to choose them."  
"Continue like this and maybe I'll let you take a look at others from the ship," said Nigel to Andy.  
"Are you going to let someone else tinker with the Runway?" Exclaims Serena astonished.  
"I am open to a second opinion," replies the man.  
"In any case," Miranda says. "It was very fast, Andrea, maybe there is still a place for you in Runway, after all."

Andy's heart skips a beat upon hearing this.

_(A place in Runway? Like, permanently? I didn't even consider something like that ... could I live like that? The smile on my face tells me it's far from being a bad idea.)_

With the immediate danger of Vogue going on, everyone is visibly more relaxed.  
"This seems like a good opportunity to rest," says Miranda. It was a very long day.  
"No arguments here," said Serena.  
"I'm glad it's over," sigh Nigel.

Even Emily seems relaxed, which makes Andy feel like she can relax too.

Unfortunately, without the excess adrenaline, Andy's body decides that the time is right to make she feel how painful he is. We shot her, she ran the equivalent of a marathon, did the course to avoid projectiles, was jostled around a ship at the speed of deformation ...

_(One moment, I didn't see any additional rooms, however ...)_

Andy feels a little uncomfortable when she asks her question.  
"Uh, does it bother if I come across one of the couches in the living room? I think I'm going to pass out soon if I don't sleep fast."  
"No sofa, you will sleep in my bed," answers Emily.

_(Wh ... what?)_

Andy can feel blush again.

 _(She sure doesn't mean ...)_  
"I don't need a lot of sleep," says Emily. "So it's okay if you take it."

 _(Okay, sure, phew?)_  
"If you agree, captain?" Add the redhead turning to Miranda.  
"It makes sense to me," replies the other woman.  
"Oh, thank you, Emily," said Andy.  
"It's the practical solution."  
"Of course ..." Andy blows embarrass.

**Emily leads Andy to her bedroom as everyone rushes into their own room...**

"I'll wait outside," said the redhead. "If you need something, don't hesitate to ask me."

 _(Just like that?)_  
"Well, thank you," Andy replies, glancing around the room.

Emily's room contrasts with the rest of the Runway. The other rooms Andy has seen so far are well maintained, but they feel alive. This room is ...

_(Lonely, sterile.)_

There is nothing there except the bare minimum and a small arsenal of weapons. Nothing sentimental or recreational.  
"Everything is fine?" Ask Emily.  
"Oh yes, I'm fine," answers Andy.  
"Okay, in this case I will let you rest."

**Emily closes the bedroom door and turns off the lights, leaving Andy alone in the room. She stumbles on the big bed and collapses...**

_(Hrgh!)_

She stays there for a while, waiting for her body to stop hurting her as well. Finally, she goes back higher up in the bed, taking off her lab coat and boots, then snuggling under the blanket.

_(He sure is calm here.)_

But as tired as she happens to be, when Andy closes her eyes, sleep refuses to come. Instead, she is bombarded with all the thoughts she has been trying to escape all day.

_(My colony was attacked and I fled, now I don't know what's going on there, to everyone I know, at my house ... and where are my parents? How are they doing? How am I supposed to succeed without them? How can they expect me to take care of Vogue on my own?)_

Andy twists and turns on herself in the bed, but she can't get comfortable and she can't block her thoughts. She tries to forget that it's Emily's bed, but even it doesn't work.

_(Her bedroom vaguely smells of pistol oil, which is strangely nostalgic and comforting, I guess it reminds me of my laboratory at home, the bed smells pretty sterile, but that also reminds me of my laboratory.)_

Andy sighs heavily, lying on her back, arms outstretched.

_(What do they all think of me? What does Emily think of me? Sooner or later this job will get more annoying than any amount of money is worth, and I couldn't even promise them a guaranteed payment, and what if they just decided it wasn't worth it, and they abandoned me somewhere?)_

**Andy turns again hours later when Emily returns to her room dressed in more casual clothes...**

An expensive sports bra and leggings.

 _(Oh my lucky stars, those abs! Don't look, Andy, even if she looks like her inspiring posters from the gym you went to once.)_  
"Oh, you're still awake," said Emily surprised. "I apologize for the intrusion ..."  
"No, no, it's good," said Andy. "It's your bedroom."  
"Is everything alright?"  
"To be honest ... no, I'm alone, I'm scared and I feel overwhelmed and I wish none of this had ever happened to me."

**Emily nods slowly and sits next to Andy on the bed...**

"You know, the biggest challenges in life allow us to rise above them and become stronger to face the rest to come," said the redhead wisely.  
"But I don't want to get stronger," sighs Andy with tears in my eyes. "I just want to go home ... with my parents ... but I can't."

Emily looks a little disappointed, but Andy can't say if it's because she was trying to comfort her or if the woman thinks she's just weak. Andy sighs, shaking his head.  
"I'm sorry," she said. "You don't have to manage this."  
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Ask Emily.  
"I guess I could use a distraction."  
"I'm happy to sit down and talk, if that helps."  
"Who was this guy chasing us?" Ask Andy. "That Beta, Nate."

Emily gives Andy a blank stare.  
"I don't know," she said. "I have never seen his before today."  
"And the name of Alpha means nothing to you?" Ask Andy.  
"No nothing at all."

_(It's just a big mystery about another one with her ... but for a minute, she said she couldn't remember her past, right? And if this Nate was a bond, a clue to discover Emily's past ...?)_


	5. Tell me more about Emily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy discovers a physical aspect of Emily, she finally falls asleep and the next morning Andy has breakfast with the crew of the Runway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As in this story Patricia is an extraterrestrial and not an ordinary dog, she can eat cereals
> 
> Do not hesitate to comment

Emily looks at Andy again and suddenly, the brunette feels very aware of herself.  
"There's something very intriguing about you, Andrea Sachs," said Emily, leaning forward, her face now inches from Andy's.

The youngest's heart begins to beat quickly and her brain falls flat, a single thought coming before that.

_(What is she doing!?)_

Emily's arm goes next to Andy's head and the brunette's heart starts pounding. The redhead then activates a switch on the headboard and it lowers, going from reading mode to sleep mode.

 _(Oh...)_  
"It should make it easier for you to sleep," Emily says. "Now you should really rest."  
"Yes, okay, you're right ..." Andy blows.

_(Come on, Andy, what were you expecting? Let her kiss you? You just met her!)_

Andy takes a deep breath, trying to refocus.

_(There's no way I'm ready to do something like that with her! But then, why am I disappointed ...? No, absolutely no! She was trying to help me be comfortable sleeping, she’s just nice.)_

Emily moves away from Andy's space, the brunette then notices a strange tattoo on the other woman's arm. It's just the redhead's first name, minus the letter i, placed inside a square.

_(It looks a bit like a stamp ...)_

Without really realizing what she's doing, Andy tries to touch him, but as soon as her fingertips brush against Emily's soft, silky skin, she immediately stiffens. Emily turns an uncertain look at Andy.  
"Uh, Andy?"

The brunette quickly withdraws her hand, as if she had just burned herself.  
"Oh, stars, I'm so sorry, it was totally inappropriate!" If she exclaims.

_(Stupid! Stupid!)_

Andy can feel her whole face turn bright red.  
"I ... I was just wondering about your tattoo! I hadn't noticed it before now and I was ... curious, and ..."

 _(Breathe ...)_  
"Uh, does it have a special meaning?" Andy asks calmly, still a little embarrassed.

Emily relaxes and looks down at her tattoo.  
"I have no answer to give you, unfortunately," replies the redhead. "I'm afraid to admit that I have had this tattoo as long as my memory allows me to remember, just like my abilities, I don't know how, where I got it, or even if he means anything,it was actually my first name, it was Miranda's idea, it's what I've known for three years, since I met the crew of the Runway."

 _(Incredible, it just gets more mysterious hour by hour.)_  
"How did you meet the Runway?" Asks Andy interested.  
"It was a chance meeting," replies Emily. "Our paths crossed and they took me on their team."  
"Do you remember what you did before that?"  
"No, I don't know, my memories before meeting them are blurred at best."  
"Whoa," breath Andy. "I can't even begin to imagine what it must be."  
"Yes, well, in my case, I can't imagine anything else."

Andy smiled gently at Emily.  
"I guess it's sort of a release, right?" She says. "It's a bit like making a new start, starting fresh."  
"In a way, yes, you are surely right," nods the redhead.  
"You know I have to admit that I half expected you to have some sort of tortured story."  
"Oh, sorry to disappoint you."  
"No, no," quickly Andy. "I'm really happy."  
"Anyway, you stalled long enough, you need sleep, Andy, I can feel your exhaustion."

**Emily gets up and walks gracefully towards the door of her room...**

The more Andy pays attention to the other woman, the more each movement of the redhead feels choreographed, always so perfect, so precise.  
"I'll be right outside," said Emily. "So you don't have to worry about anything."  
"Okay," agrees Andy. "And thanks for everything."  
"You are welcome."

**On this last sentence, Emily turns off the light and leaves Andy alone in the now completely dark room...**

_(Doesn't she really want to know more about her past? Isn't she even a little curious? Unless she's worried about what she can find out? Ugh, so hard not to don't think about it! I am a curious person! I know I have to respect her choices but ... I need answers! )_

Thoughts about Emily keep swirling in Andy's head until exhaustion finally takes over and she finally succumbs to Morpheus' arms.

**Andy doesn't know how long she's been asleep, but when she wakes up, an unknown smell of food floats around the room...**

Her stomach rumbles furiously and she remembers when she can't even remember the last meal she had.

**Andy follows the tantalizing smell until what seems to be a refectory...**

Miranda, Serena and Nigel are having breakfast.

  
 _(Oh, the alien dog species is here too, Patricia, isn't it? She seems to really like this bowl of cereal ...)_  
"Uh, morning," said Andy shyly, making her presence known.

Miranda lifts her blue eyes from what appears to be rehydrating fruit, and nods slightly in recognition of Andy's greetings. Serena and Nigel nibble strips of synthetic bacon and ...  
"Is these real waffles?" Is surprised Andy incredulous.  
"Yep, that's our special occasion food," Serena responds, smiling greatly.  
"This is very enthusiastic about the big pay day," Nigel had to point to the Brazilian.

 _(Oh yes, that ...)_  
"Grab a plate, querida," Serena said friendly. "You are our guest of honor."

Andy slowly takes a plate of breakfast and sits as far away from Patricia as possible.

_(I don't want to offend her but, it's just ... I don't even know exactly what she really is!)_

Andy takes a look around the room, and is disappointed when she notices Emily's lack of presence.

 _(It's strange.)_  
"Uh, where's Emily?" Does request. "Doesn't she eat with the rest of the team?"  
"Emily always finishes her food before everyone else then she stays quiet," replies disinterested Miranda. "It is probably in the living room."  
"She is probably reading," adds Nigel. "As you were sleeping in her room, she didn't want to wake you up while going to maintain her weapons."  
"She likes reading?" Makes Andy happy to have a possible point in common with her savior. "What kind of reading?"  
"Oh, she has very diversified tastes," sneers Serena.

Serena still has that private joke smile, like when Andy had met the Runway crew.  
"Diversified?" Repeat Andy curious.  
"Oh yes, she reads technical manuals, scientific journals, reports on weapons, military history ..." mentions the Brazilian. "The kinds of basics, you know."  
"Emily has always been like that, since she ..." said Nigel, pausing for a moment to wince. "Crashed on the Runway."

 _(Crushed?)_  
"Emily gives at least one acceptable example of professionalism," said Miranda.

Andy thinks back to the conversation she had had with the redhead before falling asleep. Emily had told her that she had crossed the path of the crew of the Runway, but crashed their ship ... it's a whole other story.

_(I bet it's also a good story, how could she have gone from a crash on their ship to become one of the most important part of their team? It’s clear that they respect her all, even if they don't know her much.)_

Curiosity practically eats Andy alive at this point.  
"So how exactly did you meet Emily?" Does request.

A moment of silence after her question, the members of Runway exchange awkward glances, hesitating to answer.  
"We met him about three years ago, by coincidence," ends up saying Miranda. "She was looking for a ship and her skills were, and still are, useful, we don't tend to ask for more than that."

Miranda gestures to Andy with her hand, suggesting that this conversation is over.

_(Yeah ok, lady, it's super evasive, it doesn't answer my question at all.)_

Serena seems to read Andy's thoughts, the Brazilian girl shakes her head gently as she leans over her plate.  
"Come on, Miranda," she said. "It's an exciting story, so don't be as ice queen with our guest."

Nigel rolls his eyes behind his glasses.  
"Exciting is not quite the word I will use to describe it," he said.  
"Hey, the Runway is going very well now," Serena smiles.  
"The repairs were extremely expensive," replies the man.  
"Is not Em worth it?" Teases the Brazilian.

The two members of Runway are arguing and Andy begins to wonder if they forgot she.  
"Uh, guys?" Done it.

The other two stop mid-sentence and look at her.  
"Oh uh, yes ..." breath Serena. "Emily collided with us in space."

 _(Did she just say collided?)_  
"It's a good thing that we weren't going faster at this time," remembers Nigel. "Otherwise the impact could have killed us, in the state of things, the damage on the Runway was ..."  
"From ancient history," cuts the Brazilian.  
"She told us that she needed a place to stay and basically nothing else," said Miranda.

Andy is surprised at this.  
"Wait, a woman crashes on your ship, doesn't even give you a name and you ... recruit her?" Does she skeptical.

 _(I am half convinced that they are making up this story at this point.)_  
"We quickly discovered what she could do," Miranda answers.  
"And I couldn't ok leave a beautiful woman alone in the infinite space," adds Serena.  
"What they mean is that Em had nowhere to go and that we needed someone with her skills," says Nigel. "It was an arrangement."

Andy nods in understanding.  
"So, you really didn't know anything about her before she joined your team?" Sighed she.  
"We never needed it," replies Miranda. "Emily is okay with her job and she doesn't cause any sort of problem."

Miranda then squints her blue eyes towards Andy.  
"Usually, at least," she adds.

The brunette puts another bite of waffle in her mouth quickly.

 _(It just made me tease ... didn't it?)_  
"Okay, so what do you think of Emily? As a person?" Asks Andy intrigued by the opinion of the rest of the crew.

Miranda seems really surprised and even a little lost faced with this question.  
"As a person?" Made it uncertain.  
"Well yes, I mean, you gave me your professional opinion, but I want to know what you think of Emily personally, you know ... if you like her, if you find her funny, things like that, so ...?"


	6. Shopping trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast continues, technical issues that take Emily and Andy shopping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say what you like and dislike about this chapter

Serena raises an eyebrow at Andy and the latter turns a little pink and looks elsewhere.  
"Emily is an obvious asset," said Miranda in response to Andy's question about her personal opinion on the redhead. "She knows how to keep her nose in her business, I don't really have to complain about her."

Nigel is the next to say what he thinks of Emily.  
"I really appreciate the fact that someone so careful is with us, I know I can trust she not to damage the ship."

Serena smiled softly, as if she was lost in thought.  
"I can't help but believe that it was actually fate that made Emily cross our path and embark on the Runway ..."  
"If we didn't trust she," adds Nigel, turning to Andy. "You wouldn't be on this ship."  
"Yeah!" Smiles the Brazilian in agreement. "But more seriously, Emily got rid of more trouble than I can count, I deal with pretty shady people, and there is nothing better than having it with me when I do it, I know if a fight breaks out, Em on my back and I have never seen her lose a fight."

_(They all really respect Emily! I can totally understand why.)_

Andy looks at Patricia, who seems to have followed the conversation, the extraterrestrial now looks at the young woman.  
"Uh ... do you have an opinion on Emily, too?" Asked Andy uncertain.

Patricia starts to rebound with enthusiasm and Andy laughs softly.

 _(She's still adorable after the shock of seeing a dog alien.)_  
"Good I guess that means that even Patty is a fan of Emily," said Andy, smiling in amusement at Patricia's behavior.

Miranda glares at Andy.  
"Her name is Patricia," she said coldly making the brunette slightly frozen.

Serena sneers at her captain's behavior and Andy's fear of it.  
"You know, Andy, talking about a fan..." begins the Brazilian.

Nigel sighs seemingly discouraged.  
"Oh no," he moans.  
"I was not going to talk about me," retorts Serena.  
"For once, it is certainly a first," teases the pilot.  
"Coarse," scowls Serena. "I was just going to say that I had never seen Em take a personal interest in someone like Andy before."  
"Uh ... personal interest?" Ask Andy.

 _(Ah it's not true, my cheeks are blushing again!)_  
"There's certainly something ... different about you, Andrea," said Miranda, observing the young woman. "Emily doesn't treat anyone like you."  
"Oh wow, that's ..." Andy blows.

_(What could I say to that?)_

But before Andy can think about it a little more, all of a sudden, all the lights on the ship go out.

 _(Oh oh, that can't be a good sign!)_  
"Bridge, now!" Miranda orders.

Serena and Nigel getting up automatically at the tone of their captain's voice, their breakfast abandoned.

**The captain, pilot, bounty hunter and engineer rush to the deck, where Emily is already located...**

"I checked the diagnoses," she said professional. "It looks like our dynamic power router was damaged in our recent air combat."  
"For God Sake!" Swears Nigel unhappy.

Andy turns to Nigel, eager to help.  
"If you want, I can examine it."  
"No, that's fine," replies the pilot. "I can manage it manually for the moment."  
"We will have to make a detour," sigh Miranda looking defeated. "We will not go all the way like this, we will have to make appropriate repairs."

Nigel swipes the interface of a virtual card several times.  
"Hmm ... it looks like our best chance would be Namaste, this is the closest colony to Elias-Clarke," he said.  
"Acceptable, trace the course and move at an icy pace you know how it makes me vibrate," replies Miranda.

**The group made a short trip to Namaste...**

Nigel continued politely to refuse Andy's offers of help for the repairs, insisting that he knew very well what he was doing.  
"Emily, you bring Andrea with you and go get the supplies we need," Miranda orders.  
"Yes, Miranda," replies Emily automatically. "Let's go, Andy."

_(Just Emily and myself on a shopping trip? Here's the opportunity I've been waiting for to try to find out more about her! Okay, don't act too much, Sachs, be cool.)_

**With this thought, Andy and Emily set off on their little shopping adventure...**

The redhead moves quickly and resolutely, but never too fast for Andy to follow her. Emily has the memorized shopping list and, apparently, the colony structure as well.

_(It's so weird to be on another colony ... everything is almost identical to my home, but at the same time it's so different, in a way that I can't put my finger on it.)_

Andy obediently follows Emily, like a puppy, wondering what is going on in the redhead's head and who she is deep inside.

 _(There is so much on it that I don't know, but where can I start?)_  
"So, uh, what's your favorite dish?" Andy asks.  
"High nutrition bars," Emily replies.  
"Oh ok..."

**Emily and Andy head to the next store...**

Where the redhead lists the items the Runway needs. The traders seize what the two women asked for and they leave.

 _(Come on, Sachs, think of a better question for she ...)_  
"Do you like ... the Runway?"  
"I have no other ship to make a comparison, but I certainly have no complaints to make," answers Emily.

 _(Ah, you already knew that, another question, come on ...)_  
"How, uh ... how often do you exercise?"

 _(One moment, it just seems lecherous!)_  
"I don't do it," replies the redhead.

 _(Ok, no way it could be true with the body she has.)_  
"I don't do that too," smiles Andy.  
"Exercise is good for you," said Emily seeming to concern.  
"So I heard."

_(Ugh why am I so clumsy?)_

Andy may not be the most abject talker, but the adventure remains exciting. Being in a different colony from hers for the first time in her life and with a person she just met not long ago, it's more than Andy has never had the opportunity to live before .

**Emily and Andy arrive at the next store...**

Which sells ship repair tools and equipment. Apparently, according to the redhead, Nigel is constantly losing his tools, but Andy's theory is that it is in fact Patricia who steals them from the pilot.  
Andy's chocolate doe eyes land on a large box with a holographic sheet on the front, bathed in neon.  
"Oh my God!" She exclaims full of excitement.

Andy rushes to the box, certain that there must be stars in her eyes.  
"Emily! Look at that! It is a multifunctional molecular redistributor! They only came out last month! Look at this chrome! Oh and the ferrofluid core! It's as if it came from the future! These things cost more than a small ship but they will REVOLUTIONIZE the ..."

As Andy holds the box in her hands, it suddenly appears to she that she is getting excited in front of very specialized manufacturing equipment. Her cheeks turn bright red and she places the box gently on the shelf, looking sheepishly at Emily. The other woman smiled at she almost tenderly, which made Andy feel more like a clumsy kid in a candy store.

_(That smile, however ...)_

**Emily and Andy divide the shopping bags evenly between they and begin to return to the Runway...**

Despite the purchasing weight division, Andy has a hard time carrying her bag, while Emily could just as easily hold helium.  
"Here," said the redhead taking the bag of the youngest, effortless obviously.  
"Thank you ..." shyly smiles Andy, grateful.

Emily smiles back. Andy and she both walk side by side without hurrying back to the Runway. Wherever Andy looks, she sees people and aliens having fun, laughing and playing. She looks up at Emily's face.

_(What can being good do for fun? I can't even imagine, she's so serious all the time ... but even super soldiers sometimes have to be restrained, right? )_

While Andy pondered what Emily's idea of the bet might be, a familiar and uncomfortable figure stepped out onto the street in front of Emily and Andy, the youngest's heart sinking.

_(No...)_

Nate aka Beta smiles at the two women in a predatory way, tense like an animal ready to pounce.  
"Hi girls!"


	7. Help Emily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nate aggressively interrupts Andy and Emily's shopping spree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter with lots of action
> 
> Comment

This sinking feeling ties Andy's stomach and instinctively reaches out to grab Emily's arm.

 _(How can Nate be here? How does he continue to find us? Didn't we manage to give him the slip in space?)_  
"Stay behind me, Andy," council Emily. "What is that you want, Nate?"

Nate's lips curl into an expression halfway between a groan and a smile.  
"Doctor Wintour has given me a mission and I will never give up," he said. "Either way, Alpha, you and the girl are coming with me."

 _(Why does he keep calling Emily like that ?!)_  
"We should run," said Andy. "Before he ..."

Nate raises his fist and a dozen soldiers from Vogue invade the surrounding streets and alleys.  
"Oh, hubble," groans Andy.

The appearance of the soldiers of Vogue causes a wave of panic among the civilians of the colony, they all start to shout and flee the impending conflict Emily's presence is the only reason Andy doesn't do the same.  
"I want them to be captured alive," orders Nate.

The soldiers are all starting to settle on Emily and Andy! Younger steps back as Emily launches to nearest soldier, hanging her leg behind him and slamming her fist into the soldier's chest, making him fall to the ground! Emily moves like a hurricane, drawing a weapon and blew up a second soldier before he could shoot even a single bullet.

_(That's why the rest of Runway is counting so much on it!)_

Vogue soldiers have number advantage  
but Emily cuts through them like butter, even as she keeps Nate at bay, however, more and more soldiers of Vogue appear and it seems that Emily begins to have a hard time.

_(Nate planned this well ... he knew he couldn't take Emily one-on-one, but with so many soldiers, even she will eventually be mastered! I really wish I could help, really, but I don't know what to do to fight!)_

Emily jumps over a Vogue soldier, using it as a human shield to take a hit from another enemy and then knocks them both out. Emily turns around when Nate shoots a blow that could have knocked her to the ground if she had been hit.

_(They just keep coming ... I have to do something!)_

As if it was at the right time, Emily is spinning firing a small laser pistol in her hand. Emily shoots his feet Vogue soldier, then she throws the rifle at Andy. She gropes to grab it from the air while Emity takes a pistol from the hand of a soldier, then slaps her butt on his face and he falls like a bag of bricks.

 _(What does she expect me to do with the gun?)_  
"Just help where you can," said Emily to Andy. "You can do that."

_(Emily has so much confidence in me, I don't can't let it go! This is my chance to help she for once!)_

Andy clumsily holds the pistol in her hands. It is lighter than she expected.

_(Ok, Andy, it's time to show Emily what you have.)_

Andy lifts the gun and immediately realizes that she has no idea what she is doing.

_(Everything is so chaotic, and they all go so fast! It's noisy and bright and HOW TO DO IT ALL?)_

Andy shakes herself to watch Emily go  
disarm one soldier and fire another.

 _(She makes it look so easy ...!)_  
"Go," said Andy. "Just give me a shot."

_(Just do what Emily does.)_

Andy targets the first Vogue soldier she sees, pulling the trigger and gasping as an explosion of energy takes off, grabbing the soldier on the side!  
"Yes!" Exclaims Andy proud of herself.

The soldier does not seem very affected by the blow. It was only a glance, and now he seems more edgy than anything else. It is turns to shoot Andy, but Emily crushes his head.

_(Well, at least I served as a distraction.)_

Without even looking in the direction of Andy, Emily calls the young woman!   
"Andy to your left!" Emily barks as an order and Andy's body reacts almost on its own.

Andy turns around just in time to see a soldier of Vogue advance on her and she pulls the trigger instinctively!

_(How did Emily even see this guy happen? She_ _was looking in one direction completely different!)_

The shot hits the soldier straight in the chest, placing him on his stomach!

 _(I did it! I did shoot someone!)_  
"Take that!" Exclaims Andy.

As Emily twists a soldier's arm behind his  
back, she gives a short smile to Andy.  
"Well done, Andy," she said.

Then suddenly Nate launches out to Emily! Andy's heart swells with pride as the other woman returns from Nate and takes out another of the man's soldiers with a head shot seemingly effortless.

_(I can really watch her do this all day!)_

Everything is so intense, a blur of movement and of laser, while the citizens scream in the distance. Andy tries to stay focused present for Emily, but she has never been in a situation like this before.  
"At four o'clock, Andy!" Warns Emily.

Like last time, Andy's body does exactly what Emily said, aiming and shooting just in time to knock out a another enemy.

 _(She is a natural born leader, isn’t I can't_ _imagine how dangerous it would be with an entire army behind it ...)_  
"Behind you!" Emily says.

Andy turns, almost feeling like a pro so she pulls the trigger, pulling a soldier's legs out from under him!  
"YEAH!" Andy exclaims, shooting again, but the shot misses, leaving a burn mark on a sign. "Oops ..."

Nate starts running towards Andy, a wild look in his eyes. The young woman tries to run, but she absolutely cannot move fast enough to stay away from the man.  
"Emily!" She cries desperately.

Reacting as fast as a lightning bolt, Emily fires a shot that threatens to turn Nate's head! Man shies away, but it's enough of a casement for Andy to put several soldiers between them.

_(Did the rest of Runway mean when they said they felt safer keeping Emily with them? Even with impossible odds, she told me gives the impression that we have a chance!)_

The butt of a gun strikes Andy's back and falls to her knees, screaming in pain.  
"Ahh!"

Her vision fades, filled with stars as an intense feeling of vertigo sets in.

_(Am I dying, is it like dying?)_

Emily swirls, pulling out the attacking soldier Andy, a flash of concern on her intensely focused face.  
"Stay close to me, Andy!" She said to the other woman.

_(No, no, it's okay, just a little pain.)_

Trying to push the radiating pain in her back, Andy gets up and walks behind Emily. The redhead pulls another soldier over Andy's shoulder, not missing a beat. The brunette tries to keep shooting to help Emily, but it is clear that the few shots she managed to land were just luck of the beginner.

_(At least Emily has enough talent to protect us both!)_

Against all odds, Emily is able to keep the soldiers away from Andy, reducing their numbers without any of them reaching  
one of them. Dozens of Vogue soldiers  
unconscious and injured litter the ground around two women, and Emily doesn't even seem to have been sweating.

_(I must admit that I admire their courage to_ _continue attacking she, despite the fact that they are desperately upgraded.)_

Soon, only Nate aka Beta remains. He and Emily look at each other, not wanting to do the first step. Andy stays behind Emily, her heart beating in her chest.

 _(Why isn't Nate attacking she? It can't be just because he knows how dangerous Emily is, he seems almost as powerful as she is! Wait ... he has says he wanted to capture us, not kill us, for Doctor Wintour, whoever ...)_  
"Why are you resisting, Alpha?" Ask Nate. "Why are you protecting this girl? You do not really don't remember?"  
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Emily.

Nate's face contracts.  
"It's been three years, Alpha," he said. "Where were you? What are you doing ? We were looking for you, I was trying to bring you home, the Doctor Wintour is waiting for you, Alpha, we are all waiting for you."  
"My house is the Runway," replies the redhead. "I belong with them, not you."

Nate's lips curl up and his whole body contracts.  
"You can't run away from this!" He shouts. "You can't run away from us!"

_(Why is he so angry suddenly? Who does he think Emily is really ...?)_


	8. Captured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily and Andy's conversation with Nate continues, hostages, engineer finds discovery and escapes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Commenting is always a pleasure

Andy looks at Emily, but the redhead's face is completely empty. She shows no signs of knowing what Nate is talking about.  
"After all that Dr. Wintour has given you..." Said the man. "You were supposed to be the strongest of the three of us, Alpha! Dr. Wintour has given you everything!"

_(Stars, he seems almost resentful!)_

Emily still shows no sign of recognition.  
"Em, do you have any idea what he's talking about?" Ask Andy.

Emily shakes her head, but Nate doesn't leave her a chance to respond. It just exploded in a fit of rage.  
"YOUR NAME IS ALPHA!" He yells. "Stop this game! Stop pretending to be something that you are not, how can you just sit there acting like our story didn't tell you anything?"

Emily doesn't respond and Nate's expression becomes even darker, Andy looks at the other woman and she has her fingers on her temples, as when she has a flash of what is going to happen.  
"What's happening?" Asks Andy worried.

Emily blows, barely responding, her face distorting through pain, panic seizes Andy while the redhead kneels, a single groan escapes from her lips.  
"Emily, what's wrong? What's going on?" Questions the brunette.

Nate, acknowledging that Emily is momentarily unable to defend herself, rushes towards the two women. Without thinking, Andy steps forward trying to protect Emily. Effortlessly, Nate pushes her aside, grabbing the redhead and pushing her to the floor.  
"Emily!" Andy screams in panic.

Andy tries to attack Nate again, but he doesn't seem to notice as he ties Emily's wrists with a pair of handcuffs. With the secure Runway soldier, he does the same with the engineer. Andy tries to fight, but Nate is strong, so much stronger than she is.  
"Abandon, girl, you lost," he said to her.

Nate takes the two women and puts them each on a shoulder. Emily still incapable and the man is absolutely not affected by the difficulties from Andy.

_(No, no, no! It can't have happened!)_

**Nate carries the two women on his ship...**

Which begins to take off almost immediately. Looking at him Andy takes a look out the window. The Runway crew is running towards them, but it is already too late. Nate has their soldier and new engineer. Andy feels upset when Nate ties up Emily and herself to chairs, adjusting their handcuffs so they can't get up.

_(Is that the end? We lost.)_

Nate laughs in grotesque ways and satisfied with himself, straying to solve other problems on board the ship. Emily begins to stir, a glassy look in her  
green eyes as she looks around observing the environment.  
"Emily! Are you OK? What did he do to you?" Her asks Andy trying to make it happen looks like a business concern, but it is so worried about the other woman.

Emerald green eyes focus on Andy a little more present than they were a moment ago.  
"Andy?" She said unsure taking a moment to look again, assessing the situation.  
"Nate captured us, it looked like you were suffering a lot," explains the brunette.

Emily shakes her head.  
"I felt better," she admits. "I am sorry, Andy, it was my fault, I was supposed to protect you."  
"It's not your fault," replies Andy. "If you didn't need of worry about me if you weren't watching me ..."  
"Andy don't," cut Emily. "You held your own."  
"But I..."  
"I'll get us out of this, I promise."

**At that moment, Nate returns...**

Standing between the two women, everything at home hurts Andy's stomach.  
"Finally, good news for Dr. Wintour, she'll be happy to see you again, Alpha," he said.

Emily just growls at Nate.  
"And you, Sachs, once we have taken over the project that Dr. Wintour has to order ..." continues the man.

 _(Wait what?)_  
"With the project running and weapons for the army in production, I will be the strongest," boasts Nate leaning over Emily, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him. "Things have changed in your absence, Alpha."

Andy's mind gets carried away when she gathers pieces of the puzzle.

_(The super-weapons that we were building without our knowledge, the secret army that I discovered these are the people behind that! This Dr. Wintour is the one who made my parents disappear! And now they want me to restart the project, even after I destroy everything? And who knows what they are planning to do to Emily!)_

Andy's stomach turns.  
"No," she said then.

Nate lets Emily go, turning to Andy. This one swallow as the man looms over her.  
"What was that?" He asks.  
"I will never help you, never!" Andy replies her trembling voice slightly, but she can see the irritation in Nate's eyes.

Nate leans forward, his face a few inches away Andy's.  
"What makes you think you have a choice?" He said. "You have no idea what we are capable of do, how powerful we are."

A shiver runs through Andy in the back and that makes smile Nate. Behind him, Andy's eyes are drawn by Emily, who moves in her seat.

_(What is she doing?)_

**At this point, Emily manages to free herself from her contraits...**

Nate turns on the sound, but Emily is too fast for him. She hits him hard, dropping from his feet.  
"No!" Growls the man.

The force of the impact hits Andy's armchair on the ground and she moans as her shoulder touches the floor. Emily and Nate fight on the ground next to her and the redhead unleashed with her heel, connecting to Andy's means of restraint. These break, and suddenly she is free too!

_(This is my chance! There is no way to take a whole Vogue ship ... Wait, I've got it!)_

**As Emily occupies Nate, Andy runs to the**   
**nearest exhaust module...**

She's replacing quickly security and enter the coordinates of the colony from where the man captured them.  
"Em! Let's get out of here!" She shouts to the other woman.  
"With pleasure!" Responds the redhead.  
Suddenly, Emily hits Nate hard enough to knock him out.

_(Even I felt it ... Ouch!)_

Emily runs to Andy and they all sink  
both in the evacuation pod, ejecting from Nate's ship straight into space...


	9. They will find us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caught in a life-saving capsule in the middle of space Andy and Emily hope to be rescued and the young woman discovers what the Runway crew likes to do in their spare time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Commenting is always a pleasure

**The rescue capsule is a tight fit...**

There is only one seat and the only way to hold it is for Andy to lounge on lap of Emily. The young woman tries not to think about it too much.

_(However, this view is incredible!)_

Most of the life capsule is just a giant window, a bubble that surrounds Andy and Emily in almost all directions. Between the adrenaline of their flight and the astonishing sight of the stars which surround them, Andy is a little breathless.

_(Not to mention being so close to Emily, my weight resting on her knees and shoulder ... Focus, Andy!)_

**Once Andy and Emily are at a safe distance from Nate's ship...**

The youngest can feel the redhead relax.  
"Well done for the quick thought, Andy, we wouldn't have come out of it without you," Emily smiles.  
"Or you," says Andy.  
"I guess we are a good team, so are you okay? We went through a lot today."

Andy nods, but so close to Emily it could become a problem, so she stops.  
"I'm fine," reassures Andy. "Honestly i'm more worried about you, it was you who did all the fighting."

Emily also nods and seems to be getting the same realization that Andy on proximity.  
"I appreciate your interest," said Emily. "I'm fine, however, it was not something I couldn't handle, that said ... Things are feeling different now."  
"Different? What do you mean?" Ask Andy.  
"When Nate spoke I felt something ... a  
remember, I think."  
"Is that what caused the headache?"  
"I believe," acquired Emily.  
"What did you see?" Andy asks interested.  
"Nate."  
"What!?"  
"It's still fuzzy, I remember being in a combat ship and shooting Nate, then there was an explosion and after that ... nothing," explains Emily.  
"Why did you shoot him?"  
"I don't remember, but obviously, he was saying the truth when he said that we know each other, it's not a thought that I find particularly supportive."

Andy sighs softly at that  
"I had a feeling," she said. "I mean, it was  
a strange thing for him to get upset about the fact that you don't recognize him."  
"Maybe, however, I don't like being in the dark, not when this lack of knowledge could be used against me," says Emily. "Or you."  
"If you want ... I mean, I don't want to push you or anything, but if you want, I will help you learn more about your past."

For a moment, Emily looks surprised.  
"Thank you, Andy," she said almost shyly. "I'm not ... no one was really interested in my past before, I'm not used to that."  
"I don't want to force you," says Andy.  
"No, it's good, you shouldn't worry about that now, however."

Capsule shakes as Andy and Emily cross  
what appears to be a magnetic disturbance. The young woman stiffened immediately, fearing that the capsule would not hold up. Emily touches her arm, a reassuring look in her emerald green eyes.

_(It’s amazing how a little touch can make such a big difference.)_

The magnetic disturbance fades, but Emily does not withdraw her hand.  
"For now, we should focus on finding the Runway," she said.  
"You're right," approves Andy. "The rescue pod should head towards Namaste, near where Nate found us, I had no way of contacting the Runway, however, I'm not sure they can find us."

Emily is silent for a moment and Andy fears to have done something bad. Then the redhead smiles confidently.  
"They will find us," she said.  
"What? Are you sure?" Ask Andy.  
"I can feel it."

**By the time Emily said that...**

The sight of the Runway begins to fulfill her vision and that of Andy, running towards them!

_(They found us! We are saved!)_

**The Runway doesn't take much time to intercept** **Andy and Emily's life capsule as** **well as bring the two women back on board the ship safely...**

Serena greets Andy and Emily with enthusiasm and Miranda checks that the two women are in good condition.  
"Safe," assures Emily.  
"Nothing from which I cannot recover, finally," adds Andy.  
"What happened?" Demands to know Miranda.

Emily gives Miranda a concise explanation of everything what happened, including Nate and the revelations about Andy's work with her parents.

 _(I wonder why she didn't tell them about her memory, however.)_  
"You can see how urgent the mission is  
is not it?" Said Andy.

The Runway crew agreed that they should send Andy's information to Elias-Clarke as soon as possible.  
"Well, the route is traced, it will take another forty-eight galactic hours," says Nigel.  
"This seems to me a good excuse to give me a little time," smiled Serena.  
"Acceptable," agrees Miranda.

**With this, everyone separates free to fill the two the next few days as he sees fit...**

Andy spends some time trying to keep up with Emily's e-books, but they aren't really entertaining. The young woman even checks the redhead's computer to see if any games are there installed, but of course there is none.  
"Boo, Emily, boo," Andy moans in trouble.

_(Seriously? What does she do in her spare time?)_

**Andy does not really monitor the weather, but after what seems like a few hours of excavation, she returns to the living room...**

The whole crew is gathered there now, Serena and Nigel are playing a game of cards while Miranda relaxes at the bar with a glass of wine. Even Patricia is entertained, jumping from surface to surface.

_(Does she pretend that the ground is lava?)_

Emily sits on one of the sofas, tablet in hand and listener in her ears, Andy sits next to her and the redhead smiles slightly to recognize the presence of the other woman.  
"What are you reading?" Asked Andy intrigued.

Emily removes one of her earphones.  
"I read in the scientific journal some recent advances in the field of modification  
endocrinological," she replies. "While listening to a report on the history of FTL reader technology."  
"... to have fun," Andy wonders.  
"This seems to me to be the most productive way to filled the empty time."  
"Wait, are you doing both things at the same time?"  
"Of course, would you like to join me?" Suggests Emily.

Emily hands Andy a headset and, not taking the lead, the brunette understands it. The redhead resumes playing the recording, but it's too fast for the other woman to pull the make the most of what they say!  
"How fast are you listening to this?" Ask Andy.  
"Three times the basic speed, I find it difficult to discern the nuances of a language at a higher speed, at least while reading," replies Emily.

 _(How can you say that like it's completely normal?)_  
"Do you like, like, joining the rest of the crew? Playing a card game or something  
thing?" Ask Andy.  
"Not usually, no," said Emily, raising her  
shoulders.

At that point, Andy hears Serena's voice from across the room.  
"We invited she to play before! She is never really interested," said the Brazilian. "You are however welcome to join us, there is always room for more at the gaming table."  
"Serena acts with confidence, but she is very easy to read," says Nigel.

 _(It sounds pretty fun actually and it would be nice to do something with everyone.)_  
"You know what I'm up to," said Andy.  
"Yes! More money for me," smiled Serena.  
"You should play too, Emily," encourage the youngest.  
"I don't see the point of playing a card game," says Emily.  
"It'll be fun!" Said Andy.  
"Fun?" Ask the redhead by leaning the  
head, seeming to think about this idea.

Emily then fixes her green eyes on those of Andy's Chocolate, seeming to have made a decision on whether or not to play with the rest of the Runway at cards.  
"Well," she agrees.

_(Wow, did she accept? Yay!)_


	10. Provide information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Runway receives a call allowing Andy to give the information she has which leads to unexpected results

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No action but a little more intrigue
> 
> Leave your comments

**Following Emily's decision to play cards with the rest of the crew...**

The other members of the Runway look at her surprised.  
"Wait, really?" Ask Nigel.  
"Of course, when the pretty engineer asks you to play ..." said Serena, frowning.  
"As if you were different," cut the man from the group.  
"I just thought Em was above that,"  
mentions the brazilian.

**Emily seems to be deliberately ignoring Serena when she and Andy join the card game...**

Miranda also joins the crew, and Patricia watches from Serena's side.

_(Patricia can't help her cheat or anything like_ _, right?)_

Andy takes a look at Emily, trying to read the redhead's game.

_(Not that I expect to be able to read it at all.)_

To Andy's surprise, Emily smiled in front of her, happily.

_(Maybe I understand it after all?)_

Before the group can really get into the game, an alert sounds from the deck!  
"A call?" Is surprised Andy.  
"Who wants to bet that this is good news for once?" Ask Nigel.

**The crew rushes to the deck...**

Nigel responds to the call. Much to Andy's relief, he's an online Elias-Clarke officer!

 _(Finally, I can give them the information now! Our luck finally turns!)_  
"Runway civil ship, please report, what are you doing in this area?" Ask Elias-Clark 's female officer. "We are investigating a disturbance to Namaste and asking all of the ship in the sector to register."

 _(A disturbance on Namaste? She must be talking about what happened with Nate!)_  
"First, we hear about it, Madam, we were in the colony for a simple restocking and  
routine repairs," says Miranda. "We do not have noticed no type of problem."

Elias-Clarke's officer nods.  
"What is your next destination?" She asks.  
"We are on our way to the headquarters of Elias-Clarke," answers Miranda. "We have someone on board who urgently needs to speak to a union official."  
"In fact, I just arrived from HQ," informs the officer. "I will be happy to send you a message, especially if there is an emergency."

Miranda looks at Andy and nods, gesturing to the screen simultaneously.

_(Wow, yeah, it's perfect, couldn't it be better right now?)_

Suddenly, the mouth of Andy is almost painfully dry.

_(There is so much on my shoulders right now, can I really do that? What if I screw it up?)_

Andy catches Emily's emerald look and she gives she a reassuring nod, this simple gesture communicates in Andy a confidence that is impossible to deny.

_(I can totally do that!)_

Wiping her sweaty hands on her jacket, Andy approaches the screen, the officer turns her attention to the young women.  
"What should you report civil?" Ask the officer.

_(Just explain everything, this is your luck.)_

Andy nods and, keeping her eyes fixed on  
the officer, she begins to speak. Slowly, gently, Andy explains everything she knows.  
"Until recently I was working on a contract  
private, when I looked at the details, I discovered that we were working on very dangerous weapons, my parents, who were also working on this project, tried to reach the headquarters of Elias-Clarke to warn you, but they disappeared, we were chased by a Vogue soldier named Beta-Nate himself, who works for a Dr. Wintour, who led the project, I have the only remaining copy of the data, and if he gets it before I can give it to you ... the results could be catastrophic."

By the time Andy finishes, she is shaken with nerves and anxiety, but Elias-Clarke's officer nods head.  
"I see, I see, a moment," said the officer, making gestures to someone who is outside the screen and soon is joined by another officer.  
"Can you repeat all of this? We want to  
make sure you don't miss anything," said the man to Andy.  
"Yes, okay," agree Andy.

Andy forces herself to breathe and begins to tell everything again. Fortunately, it is a little easier to get the story out the second time. The two officers nodded seriously, picking up on everything Andy said.

 _(I finally did it ... I got the information to Elias-Clarke!_ )

Then, out of nowhere ... the two officers of  
Elias-Clarke laughs.  
"What...?" Breath Andy full of misunderstanding.

The two officers drape their arms, laughing as if Andy had just given the best stand-up comic they never heard.

 _(I do not understand....)_  
"Thank you Runway, that's all," said the first officer, still laughing.  
"Can you believe these crazy conspirators?" Sneers the second officer.

**With that, the officers hang up, leaving the Runway deck in an uncomfortable silence...**

Andy is watching Emily, but the redhead's expression is harsh, too stoic to be read.  
"What just happened?" Growl Nigel.  
"We don't get paid, that's what happened," said Serena unhappy.

_(But why? Why didn't they take me serious? And more importantly, if Elias-Clarke doesn't will not help, who will?)_

Andy is trying to understand what just happened.

_(How could Elias-Clarke not want to help?)_

A feeling of hopelessness begins to settle in Andy's stomach.

 _(Don't they care about the danger? Of all the innocent people Vogue is going to kill?)_  
"Please tell me it was just a bad joke," begs Andy.

Andy feels Emily's hand rest on her shoulder and she looks at the redhead.  
"You haven't dealt much with Elias-Clarke, have you?" Said Nigel to Andy. "It's almost the same for the course."  
"It was unfortunate, but not surprising," says Emily.  
"I really counted on this payday, too," sighed Serena. "I say we reduce our losses and find a new mission."

 _(What? No!)_  
"I agree, going to Elias-Clarke headquarters does will get us nowhere," Miranda agrees.

Patricia shakes her head looking sorry.

_(No, we can't give up now! It cannot be the end ... )_


	11. You are not alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crew's Decision After Elias-Clarke's Officers Call And Then Andy and Emily Spends Time Alone Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this story Nigel called Andy genius instead of six

**After suggestions from Serena and Miranda to abandon the mission following the reaction of the Elias-Clarke officers...**

Andy can feel a panic attack bubbling, threatening to take over. The young woman needs all her composure to remember her breathing exercises and stay in control. Emily's hand on Andy's shoulder helps the brunette stay in the moment.  
"There must be someone who will listen," said Andy teary-eyed. "It was only two officers from Elias-Clarke, we mustn't give up just because of him."  
"Technically, it was two officers," reminds her Serena  
"Someone has to care someone has to want to do something," said Andy. "We cannot give up at the first obstacle!"  
"This was not the first obstacle, genius, Vogue us continues from the start," replied Nigel.  
"This information could save countless lives, how can you get out of it?" Asks the desperate engineer.

Miranda stares at Andy and sighs softly.  
"We all admire your naive idealism, Andrea, but we are not martyrs," explains the captain.  
"But ..." try Andy again.  
"I agree with Andy," intervenes Emily.

The rest of the crew looked surprised that Emily was saying the opposite of Miranda. Andy watches the redhead with a heart swollen in gratitude.  
"You do?" Ask Andy.  
"The man chasing us, Nate, is not just a Vogue soldier," says Emily. "I firmly believe that there is more than what we have seen, if we do nothing, we may not be able to escape the consequences of more, I doubt that he never stops coming after us, respectfully, I have the firm intention to assist Andy and to carry out this mission."

Hear Emily stand up for her and take her  
side hits Andy harder than she was prepared for.

 _(Maybe I'm really not alone on this ship ...)_  
"Well, shit, I don't want to go anywhere without Em," sighs Serena.  
"I will admit that the genius was also beneficial for the Runway," says Nigel rubbing the glass of his glasses.  
"What do you think, captain?" Asked the Brazilian.  
"... I am happy to follow the consensus on this one," answers Miranda.  
"Thank you, Captain," said Emily with a relieved look at Miranda's approval.  
"You have never led us in the wrong direction before, Emily you have won our trust," says the captain. "And Andrea, you made yourself useful."

Andy looks at Miranda in amazement.  
"Really?" She said without believing that the generally icy woman would give her a compliment even if subtle.

Miranda nods.  
"Miranda does not compliment if she does not think so," smiled Nigel, putting on his glasses.  
"I don't think she ever complimented me," said Serena thoughtfully.  
"Maybe you never deserved it," said Miranda with a sly look.  
"It's just hard," sigh the Brazilian.

Serena and Miranda share a slight smile.  
"We will give him one more shot," approves Miranda.  
"Thank you!" Exclaims Andy.  
"At Elias-Clarke's headquarters, then?" Nigel asks, taking his place as a pilot.

Patricia bounces all over the place with excitement.  
"Let's go," orders Miranda.

**A bit later...**

With the route fixed for the seat of Elias-Clarke, the whole crew separates to go and do their own business.

**Emily and Andy return to the redhead's room...**

Emily begins to follow her usual routine of servicing her guns.

_(All right, try to stay calm now, Andy, the situation has returned to normal.)_

But as much as Andy tries to say that to herself, she finds it hard not to worry. While Emily works, the other woman finds herself pacing, obsessed with anything that could go wrong.  
"What if the next person doesn't listen? What if we get attacked?" She said aloud without noticing. "And if they don't take the data seriously! I'm already pushing my luck, if one more thing goes wrong ..."

Andy has to force herself to breathe slowly and with precaution.  
"What if I were dropped somewhere?" She continues, becoming even more worried. "I never left home, and I am all alone ..."

A slight sensation in Andy's lower back makes her jump. It takes a second for the young woman to recognize the contact as being a hand.

**She turns to find herself face to face with Emily and Andy's breath hangs in her throat...**

_(Is she...?)_

There is a soft, almost compassionate look in Emily's emerald eyes, something Andy has never seen before.  
"You were talking out loud," said Emily.

_(Oh no, was I?)_

Andy's face turns bright red.  
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" She exclaims embarrassed.  
"I was not complaining," said Emily a raised eyebrow. "I ... I was just ..."

Emily hesitates, apparently looking for the right words.  
"Everything will be fine, I want you to feel that," she sighs.

 _(Is she trying to comfort me in her own way?)_  
"You're not alone, Andy," adds Emily smiling softly, a smile which is a straight arrow in Andy's heart.

_(How does she do that?)_

Andy imagined that her head was in the clouds previously it was nothing compared to now.

_(It's time to be a scientist, Andy, let's go over the facts ... first thing every time Emily looks at me, it gives me want to smile, facts number two every time we're alone together, my heart is pounding, last facts her smile me just want to melt, conclusion ... I absolutely have a crush on_   
_this woman!)_

Emily tilts her head a little, like a different angle could help she understand what Andy is thinking.  
"Andy?" She asks curious.

_(What about how she feels? I thought we were a little closer in the escape pod, but Emily is still hard to read, she's so stoic, so focused ... I don't think which is selfless however? Oh hubble, I'm still getting lost in my thoughts.)_

Emily still smiles at Andy, but there's also an element of caution.  
"Something bothering you, Andy? Something harder to speak?" She asks a little slyly.  
"Uh ..." said Andy blushing.  
"I don't want to put pressure on you, I hope you feel that you can open up to me, however, I would appreciate that you trust me."

_(It's the perfect time, right? Tell her how you feel about her!)_

"Emily, I ..."


	12. Say what you feel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy decides to confess to Emily what she feels for the redhead hoping that she will return her feelings
> 
> Here we are halfway through this story I hope you like the rest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ❤️ indicates the beginning of a romantic moment and the 🖤 the end of this moment

Andy watches as Emily feels filled with  
determination.

 _(Just do it!)_  
"I'm sorry, I didn't want to worry about being in my head," said Andy, swallowing nervously. "I tried to stay professional with you, but the truth is..."

❤️  
Andy takes a deep breath and she throws herself into the water, exposing her emotions.  
"I can't stop thinking about you, you are so beautiful, strong and gifted in everything you do," she said to Emily, blushing. "And ... you make my heart beat and I feel this feeling of floating in my stomach as if there were lots of butterflies inside."

_(Stars, I'm a total nerd right now but I did it! I admitted how I feel, please don't let it spoil it all ...)_

To Andy's surprise, Emily laughs, it's  
surprisingly soft and may be the softest sound the brunette never heard.  
"I could feel your nerves from the moment we are met, Andy," laughs Emily with a slight sly smile.

_(Oh hubble, she has these telepathic and empathetic powers, right? I could die of embarrassment now ...)_

Andy's face is burning with embarrassment and she can't no longer thinking about anything. It takes all your composure to don't just get up and run away from Emily's room.

 _(Maybe I can find a nice locker or something like that.)_  
"I don't want you to think that I don't like you, Andy," said Emily now serious again. "But..."

_(...But?)_

Andy's heart is pounding as her mind racing.  
"In the past three years, things have been  
stable for me, consistent and predictable even," continues Emily. "My life on the Runway has been comfortable, but with you, things feel different, it's ... strange."

Andy's stomach twists in knots.  
"Like, bad different?" She asks, feeling a ball of nervousness in her throat.

Emily shakes her head gently.  
"No, it's not bad in itself," she said. "Not the least to be honest, it's just that I feel things with you that I had never felt before, and I ..."

Emily sighs, seemingly frustrated with her inability to express how she feels.

 _(Boy I can feel it.)_  
"I don't know how to navigate this," admits Emily.

There is the slightest trace of vulnerability in the voice from Emily, probably for the very first time, at least from Andy's experience. The two women make eye contact and the intensity of it crosses Andy, warming her from the inside.

 _(Things have really changed, right? When we first met, she was so simple she was almost dull, now she really shares her emotions with me, it filled me with 'hope.)_  
"I know it's not exactly the same thing,"  
said Andy. "But many of my experiences are news for me too I was always more interested in engineering than, uh ... you know ..."

Andy smiles awkwardly, her heart is still beating fast enough and she is afraid he will break her rib.  
"I think so," smiled Emily softly.

Andy nervously swallows.  
"But I think it would be nice to explore new  
things," she said. "Especially if it's with you."

Emily smiled again, that beautiful smile with perfect teeth, and she nodded.  
"I would like that," she said. "The others have never shown so much interest in me before, as far as I can remember ... no one has done it before you."

Emily sighs at this before shrugging a shoulder in indifference.  
"That's how I liked it," she adds. "I do not  
didn't feel like i had something to share, no need to share it, but you ... you ask questions about me, you hunt for a relationship with me, I never thought that I would welcome that, but with you, it is, it's strange and exciting, whatever this connection between us i'm glad it exists."

_(Oh, thank you my lucky stars!)_

Andy and Emily both sit in silence, not knowing what to say or do after that.

_(Well, I don't know if she's unsure of her feelings or if she's happy to do nothing, but I really do emotional flashbacks here I want the contact, touch it maybe or say something, but what can i say? This is all so new, so different from all the situations in which I have been to before ... I have studied the most advanced engineering classes I have had access to and none of this seemed to me as complicated as this situation.)_

Emily gets closer to Andy and the younger girl's already beating heart intensifies. The redhead leans towards the other woman and Andy don't know what Emily is going to do ...  
🖤

**At that moment...**

Emily folds in half in pain, her fingers resting firmly on her temples and her eyes closed!

 _(Another memory that comes back to she?)_  
"It's going to be fine, Em," said Andy trying to be comforting, she puts Emily's arm over her own shoulder and helps the redhead go to bed.

**Once Emily is lying on her bed...**

Andy sits next to her, holding her hand. The redhead's hand squeezes that of the other woman, but fortunately not with all the strength of which she is capable. It takes a few minutes, but ultimately it's over. Emily's slightly tearful emerald eyes open again.  
"Is that another memory?" Asks Andy, both curious and worried.

Emily nods gently as she straightens up on her elbows.  
"I think so," she said.  
"What did you see?" Andy asks, rubbing her hand along Emily's arm.  
"I saw a building full of discs and there was a name on a wall ... Pagesix, I think? And there was someone with me."  
"Do you know who it was?"  
"The face was not clear," replies Emily, frowning focused eyebrows trying to remember her flashback. "But there was a feeling, I think it was Dr. Wintour."

A flash of inspiration strikes Andy suddenly.  
"It could be good for both of us!" She exclaims.  
"You think?" Emily asks uncertain.  
"We can use your memories, together we  
can discover your past! Besides it seems like your past and what's going on now with my information and my parents have some kind of connection, I think we can help each other, uh ... I mean if you want , I don't want to assume that you're interested in watching in your past just for..."

Emily, cut Andy quickly.  
"No, I think I need it," she said determined.  
"Now that my memories come back to me, I can no longer ignore it, and if it helps you too ... no, it's not only that, your enthusiasm caught me Andy."  
"We should therefore inform the others," Andy smiles. "And understand what Pagesix means."

Emily nods and smiles. Andy smiles back and, side by side, the two women leave the redhead's room to convince the other members of the Runway.


	13. Spatial problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Emily and Andy tell the crew about Pagesix, the Runway decides to get there, but they will have to face a space danger before they can get there

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Given the number of comments on this subject on all my stories, I will change the style of my writing so that the quotation marks become the words and the (...) thoughts in italics, that will do one chapter at a time 
> 
> I also specify that only my story of the assistant of Minerva has a beta (thank you again seriesly ) so the rest of my stories could still have faults, hoping that this does not prevent you from appreciating them

**In the living room of the Runway ship, after Emily's flashback ...**

Andy and Emily quickly gather the rest of the crew and the redhead explains the flashbacks she just had. She mainly tells them about the place she saw in her last vision.  
"Dr. Wintour is the person behind the contract that launched all of this." Add Andy. "If we get evidence from that, directly from the source, Elias-Clarke will have to listen to us, and we have no chance of arresting Nate and Vogue's super army without the help of Elias-Clarke. "  
"Okay, I’m not questioning your logic, but  
how are you going to find this place?" Serena asks. "After all, the only thing you have to keep going is the fuzzy memory of Emily and the name of a place that no one has ever heard of. "  
"Actually, I do." Miranda intervenes.

Emily turns to surprise her captain.  
"You have?" She asks wide-eyed.  
"You said Pagesix, didn't you?" Ask Miranda by raising a eyebrow. "This is a Vogue planet, very far from their territory, not close to anything else."  
"And you ... just know where it is?" Nigel smiles, full of innuendo.  
"It's a problem." The captain replied curtly, glaring at the pilot.

Nigel sighs softly at this.  
"No Miranda," he said softly. "But I think the fact that this place is a Vogue planet,  
will be a problem, I can easily get there with no worries, but I don't know how you plan to get in and out of there without blowing yourself up. "  
"What about invisibility circuits?" Request  
Serena.  
"They were damaged some time ago, Rena." Reminds her of Emily.  
"And we still haven't corrected them, how is that possible?" The exotic woman is surprised.  
"Because they are expensive to repair," replies Nigel.

Andy quickly turns to Nigel.  
"What's wrong with them?" She asks.  
"The photon matrix was hit by a stray shot," informs the pilot.  
"Oh hubble," blows the engineer. "It's really expensive to replace."  
"Maybe we could steal a Vogue ship and use it?" Suggests Emily.  
"Actually, I have another idea," says Andy. "If you don't mind Nigel, sure."  
"It depends on what you have in mind" remarked the man. "What exactly are you thinking about?"

Andy bit her lower lip gently.  
"Well, this is a stealth mission, right?" She asks shyly. "So we probably won't  
need weapons ... "  
"Oh misery, I don't like where it goes with that." Groaned Serena.  
"I can pass the invisibility circuits in  
the pistol battery, temporarily. "Explains  
the engineer. "They would operate at around ninety-two percent of their capacity, which should be enough, right?"

Miranda raises a questioning eyebrow at her pilot.  
"Nigel?" She asks.  
"Theoretically, it would work," agrees the man.  
"Technically, it is hypothetical." Correct Andy. "Not theoretically ..."

Nigel shakes his head bored  
"Just see what you can do, okay?" Concluded man by doing signs to Andy.

_(Yes! He trusts me!)_

**A few minutes later...**

Andy connects her tablet to the main systems of the Runway, trying to ignore Nigel standing above of her while accessing control systems secondary vessel. With lots of DIY and a few lines  
custom code ...  
"Success!" Exclaims Andy pumping a fist in the air.  
"Well done Andy" Compliments Emily.

The brunette shines at that.  
"Okay, you want to watch this." She said to Nigel.  
"Let's just hope we don't have to fight our way out of anything." Mention Serena.  
"There is a first for everything." Replies Nigel.  
"Okay, Nigel, take us there." Miranda orders.  
"You have it, captain." Nigel replies, nodding.

The pilot adjusts the route of the ship according to Miranda's instructions and sends the Runway to Pagesix.

_(In Vogue space ... What could go wrong?)_

For the most part, the trip goes without incident. Nigel makes them follow a path that avoids the places where they risk meeting Vogue ships. Then, suddenly without warning, the alarms go off!  
"Oh hubble!" Groans Andy. "Did Vogue spot us?"  
"No, it's a different alarm." Informs Nigel "It's about ..."

The entire crew looks out the window, just in time to see a giant asteroid rushing towards their ship!

 _(We are about to fly through an asteroid belt ... and the alarm continues to be heard!)_  
"Everyone, your stations! Now!" Growls Miranda.

Nigel takes manual control, trying to sneak between the floating and often deadly rocks of infinite space. The man is doing a good job, but even a pilot as good as he cannot continue to avoid so many unpredictable asteroids forever.  
"You do NOT leave scratches on my ship!"  
Rebels Nigel, furious at the asteroids.

Serena rushes towards the guns ... only for remember that they are not currently working.  
"It would be a good time to be able to shoot with the arms! "she mentions, turning to Andy.  
"I can fix it!" Andy suggests nervously. "I can change it back!"  
"There is no time for that!" Nigel points out.  
"Forgotten the guns," Miranda smacks with pursed lips. "Find something else."  
"I'm trying!" Replies the pilot with clenched teeth and sweat beading on his forehead.

Emily takes a step forward, putting a hand on the back of the chair to Nigel.  
"Nigel, I need you to follow my instructions exactly." Indicates the redhead "Can you do that?"  
"I'm ready to try," replies Nigel.  
"Turn to starboard," Emily instructs. "Now!"

Nigel does exactly what she says, just in time to avoid a big asteroid. The soldier continues to give instructions, her emerald eyes closed all the time. The pilot follows her advice and succeeds in removing them from the asteroid field!  
"Holy stars, Em, it was unbelievable!" Andy is in total admiration for the redhead.  
"I uh ... I'm just glad we did it safely." Admits Emily a little embarrassed in front of the amazed look given to her by the engineer.

With the asteroid field behind them, the crew of the Runways look to the future, Pagesix looms in front of them.

_(A real Vogue planet... please, leave everything go as planned!)_

Nigel activates the invisibility circuit and transports them to the planet. He finds a safe place to land in the mountains. Fortunately, it is dark and there are not many Vogue vessels in the vicinity.  
"Okay, we're downstairs." He announces.  
"Serena, Emily secure the area," Miranda orders.  
"You got it!" Quickly accepts Serena.  
"Yes Miranda," replies Emily.

The two women leave the ship first, arms in hand. Miranda and Nigel also arm themselves, in case someone sneaks aboard the Runway. Serena and Emily return after sweeping the area.  
"Everything is clear" Informs the exotic woman.  
"Okay, Emily and Andrea, are you ready?" Miranda asks, raising an eyebrow.

Concern rises again in Andy's chest, combined with curiosity and excitement.

_(I have never been to a real planet before, I have never felt real gravity! Why should my first time be a Vogue planet?)_

Emily a hand reaches towards Andy, who takes it gently and, together, they descend from the Runway on dry land ...


	14. Looking for a flashback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily and Andy are now on Pagesix looking for the building of the redhead's flashbacks

**A few moments after the Runway landed on the Pagesix planet of the Vogue empire ...**

Once Emily and Andy set foot on the planet, the redhead stops the engineer with a hand on her shoulder.  
"Oh, before we go any further, there you go." She said handing Andy a jacket similar to everyone else's of the Runway.

The jacket is a splendid forest green and an almost black dark gray.  
"It'll help you blend in a little better, it was mine when I got to the Runway." Emily adds.

Andy's cheeks blush severely and she slips into the offered garment.

_(Is it just my imagination, or does it smell a bit like Em?)_

Emily leads the way into town, confident as always.  
"It's strange." She whispers, frowning.  
"What's strange?" Ask Andy.

Emily gently shakes her head, as if to clear her mind.  
"I can't say I have any memories of this place" she replies. "But I seem to know where to go, it's almost like a gut feeling."  
"It's good enough for me." Says Andy.

**The two women arrive on the outskirts of town ...**

Emily stops Andy by placing an arm in front she. The redhead pulls her into a shady corner as a couple of Vogue guards roam on patrol.

**Once they're gone, Emily rushes down a dark alley ...**

Andy awkwardly follows her.  
"Stay close to me" Emily orders. "We have  
still a long way to go. "  
"I'll try ..." Wobbles the youngest.

**Emily rushes again ...**

Her footsteps surprisingly light for the heavy purple and silver armor she wears. Andy tries to keeping her footsteps as quiet as the other woman's, but even with lighter clothes, it's difficult.

_(How does she do it?)_

**Emily disappears into a corner...**

When Andy gets there, the redhead is nowhere to be found!

_(Oh no...!)_

She looks around trying to spot Emily, only to hear a few other soldiers from Vogue marching down the next street! Andy is paralyzed, unable to move her feet.

_(If I run they will definitely hear me, but if I stand still they will see me!)_

Emily appears in a motion blur. She rushes down the street and hugs Andy in her married style. 

**Carrying her to another dark corner out of sight ...**

Her body is now pressed against Andy's.  
The two women listen in tense silence as  
let the Vogue guards overtake them.

 _(It was too close!)_  
"Sorry, I panicked." Apologies Andy.  
"It's a high pressure environment." Emily points out. "You are doing fine."

**She grabs the younger's hand and leads it**   
**in several connected alleys ...**

They completely avoid the soldiers of Vogue.

_(She seems so sure how does she know_   
_where does she go? Her memories of this place ... is it really related to Vogue?)_

**After a few more turns, the aisles open ...**

"It's here." Emily says. "Across that street is my flashback building."  
"Guess that proves it true, eh?" Andy comments.  
"I'm not sure what that means ..." Admits  
the redhead.  
"That's what we're here to find out." She  
remembers the brunette.

Emily nods appreciatively.

**The two women cross the street as they approach the large building ...**

Now that Andy knows it's related to Emily, it seems a lot more intimidating.  
"We should take a tour of the building to find a way in." Emily suggests.  
"Of course we could do that." Nods Andy. "Or counter-offer, could I just bypass security?"

Emily looks impressed at this.  
"Do you think you can handle this?" She asks.  
"I decrypted their files, haven't I?" Andy replies.

She plugs into the security panel next to the front doors. It doesn't take long to  
spoof the authorization signal and open the door.  
"Awesome." Emily compliments.  
"I should be able to use the signal on all the doors now." Explains Andy.

**The two women enter the building ...**

They hear footsteps in a corridor near the hall.

_(Ugh, of course the place is watch!)_

Emily puts a finger to her lips and leaps upward, clinging like a cat to the ceiling with a decorative accessory. She swings silently along the ceiling, and, just as the guards come to the corner of the hallway, she drops behind them. Wrapping an arm around their necks, it cuts off the flow of blood to their brains and they pass out.

_(Unbelievable!)_

Emily waves to Andy to join her and follow her. The two women walk through the winding corridors.

**When Emily stops in front of a large door, stopping Andy ...**

"That's it." Emily announces.  
"Are you ready?" Andy asks.  
"I do not know." Admit the redhead. "I have no idea what we're going to find."

Andy gives her a soft smile.  
"Whatever it is." She says. "I'm here with you, Em, you're not alone."  
"You are right." Accept Emily. "It is comforting, thank you, Andy. "

The young woman stretches out her hand and takes that of the Runway soldier. Emily smiles at she and pushes the door ...


	15. EMLY project

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now in Pagesix's Vogue library Andy and Emily must research information on Dr. Wintour and may at the same time find out about the redhead's past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small chapter not much action but advances the plot

**Once Emily pushes the door inside the Vogue building of her flashbacks ...**

The two women end up in a much larger library than Andy expected from Emily's description. The place is full of files, terminals and databases, and the engineer can feel her inner geek trying to figure it all out.  
"This place is amazing!" Gasps Andy. "Is this what was in your Flashbacks? "  
"Yes it is." Emily nods.  
"Let's start watching then." Suggests the brunette.  
"Take anything that appears to be related to Dr. Wintour, or Alpha and Beta." Advises the redhead. "These are our best leads."  
“There is so much information we could take in here, however…” Andy points out.  
"We have to prioritize." Emily Cup. "If  
we get caught ... "  
"You are right." Approve the younger one.

The two women know they don't have long before dawn and more people are waking up where they find out the unconscious guards.

_(Better to hurry.)_

Emily begins to look at the physical files, because she can read much faster than Andy, this one plugs her tablet into one of the terminals and begins to work out together an algorithm to extract the keywords suggested by Emily.

_(Thank goodness my fake security pass works here as well!)_

Andy's chocolate eyes start to glow  
thousand fires as document after document Zoom on the screen, scanned  
and rejected by its algorithm. She opens things that seem to be related, but none of that.

**After many hours ...**

Without moving for a long time, Andy's body begins to cling as the morning light begins to pour in through the windows.

_(I am not normally hunched over a computer that long!)_

Andy gets up to stretch her body and walks almost directly into Emily!

_(Oh my God...!)_

The two women are now both face to face, barely separated by an inch. Their eyes meet and Andy, see the slightest hint of a smile on Emily's face.  
"Uh, hey." Andy stutters.  
"Hey." Emily answers.

Andy pulls back, trying to get away from the gravity of Emily's emerald eyes.  
"A little bit of luck?" Andy asks.  
"Nothing yet." Emily sigh. "You?"  
"I ... quickly squat!" Order the brunette.

Somewhere outside the library the two  
women hear the sound of a door opening and to close.  
"Oh hubble!" Andy moaned worried.

Emily pulls the other woman into a squatting position by her side, their shoulders touching. As they stand completely still, listening for signs of someone who has found something, their hands brush against each other.

_(I don't know what's worse for my heart, the fear of being caught or being alone with Emily.)_

**Several minutes pass ...**

The two women no longer hear anything and then return to search.

_(We've got to find something.)_

As more and more files are sorted through Andy's reject pile, another idea strikes her, as she recalls Emily's tattoo.

 _(Not that I get distracted thinking about her body ...)_  
"What about EMLY?" She asks.  
"I haven't seen anything like it yet." Emily answers.

Andy quickly changes the search parameters by adding anything EMLY related. So she waits.

_(Please, please don't let this be a waste of time ...)_

So her eyes go back and forth between the files ...  
"I have something!" She announces to Emily.

The other woman's red head rises and her  
emerald eyes widen.  
"You do?" She asks surprised.  
"That's a whole project of files, tucked away." Andy answers. "THE EMLY PROJECT."

Emily takes a chair and presses herself against Andy while the engineer tidies the files.  
"Dr. Wintour's name is everywhere." Watch Andy.

There are so many files and the two women don't have time to read them all. Andy begins to transfer the data to her tablet.  
"There isn't enough room for all of this." Andy mumbles.  
"Just take the most important files." Emily advice.

When copying, they touch the data that  
appear on the screen. Some of the data from the project that Andy was working on with her parents that she actually recognizes.  
"So Dr. Wintour made three prototypes of super soldiers, designed to lead an entire army of super soldiers?" Try to understand Andy. "That explains a lot the work she made us do"

 _(Not to mention it's just terrifying!)_  
"Let's see ..." Andy said looking at the screen. "Powers telepathic, improved strength and agility, precognition ... oh the three prototypes have names, Alpha aka undefined, Beta aka Nate and Gamma aka Jocelyn ... "

_(Oh! Oh, stars!)_

The pieces lock in Andy's head. Every time Nate aka Beta called Emily Alpha, the tattoo on her arm, her amazing abilities ... Andy is tormented inside looking up at Emily.  
"Emily ..." she breaths. "This file concerns you."


	16. She makes you weak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On Pagesix things go wrong for Emily and Andy after all they are on a Vogue planet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long chapter to compensate for the slight delay in my updates

**In the Vogue library on Pagesix ...**

Emily and Andy look at each other, still trying to process what they just read about the EMLY project.

_(Emily was one of Dre. Wintour's experiments? Was it made by Vogue?)_

Emily looks as surprised as Andy, not to mention her discomfort. Then she wince, her hands resting on her temples.  
"Another flasbback." Andy asks.

_(It's really not a good time for her to be_   
_invalid!)_

Emily shakes she, gritting her teeth again.  
"More comes back to me." She growls in pain. "But it is difficult to ..."

**At the exact moment when she is about to finish her sentence ...**

The two women notice footsteps and voices just outside the library!

_(There is nowhere to hide in time!)_

Andy tears the cable from the terminal, hoping her tablet will download enough data to be useful.

**The library part opens and a Vogue soldier bursts into the room ...**

The soldier immediately sets off the alarm when he sees the two women standing in the middle of the library.  
"I found them!" He exclaims loud and clear. "They're in Dre. Wintour's private library!"

**In just a few moments ...**

More soldiers enter the library, their weapons in hand.  
"Stay close, Andy!" Emily warns by placing a protective arm in front of the young woman.

Then suddenly she charges forward, her shoulder slamming into the nearest Vogue soldier, sending him sprawling onto his back.

The redhead swivels her gun, pulling on the roof, it drops a half-balcony on three other soldiers, giving Andy and her a window of time to slip into the other soldiers.  
"Move!" Emily orders Andy. "Now!"

**They move quickly towards the corridor ...**

Andy sticks to Emily and they enter the dust passing the decorated soldiers.

 _(It was really close.)_  
"How did they find us so quickly?" Asks Andy, still breathless from the race.  
"Don't worry about it now." Emily advice. "We have to get out of this building."

A Vogue soldier comes out of a room in front of them, but Emily doesn't even miss a beat.

She hits the man with the butt of her weapon using all her momentum to send him flying backwards.

**The two women managed to get out of the building ...**

They take a side exit in case the soldiers are waiting for them at the main entrance.  
"Quick thinking." Congratulates Andy with a nod of approval to Emily.  
"Unfortunately, not fast enough." Emily growls, looking up at the top of the building.

Andy looks up to follow Emily's gaze, only to see Nate jump off the rooftop and cut them off! He landed in front of the women with a sickening smile of victory on his face.  
"You didn't think escaping would be so easy, did you?" He laughs.

Andy's stomach turns, but she knows she can't let the fear get her. Not now!

 _(I'm with Em, I can do it!)_  
"How are you here?" Ask Andy.

 _(Well done, he can probably hear my teeth chattering from where he is.)_  
"I had a feeling Alpha would find her way back here." Nate answers.

Andy glares at the man.  
"Her name is Emily." She hisses.

Nate laughs at her, but Emily smiles at Andy with recognition.  
"Are you letting your pet speak for you, Alpha?" Nate sneers badly.  
"It's not my name." Against Emily.  
"You can't run away forever, Alpha." Replies the man. "You are one of us, you will always be one of us."  
"YOU'RE WRONG!" Says the redhead.  
"And you are weak." Growl Nate. "We were killed, Alpha, the three of us were supposed to be unstoppable, and now what are you playing? Babysitter for this girl? What is she even for you? She makes you weak , Alpha, she's holding you back. "

He smiles, but it's not an expression of happiness on his face it's like a predator baring his teeth.  
"Again, you may have always been weak." He adds. "After all I almost killed you in that essay three years ago."

The smile fades, but his teeth are still visible.  
"Things are better without you, Alpha." He mentions. "I don't have to play with you anymore, I'm stronger than you've ever been, and now I'm going to prove it, the army of super soldiers will be ours and when this whole universe is ours, YOU N 'WILL HAVE NO PLACE! "

He breathes heavily, practically brimming with a sense of unearned victory. Andy has never seen anyone show so much hatred as when Nate is looking at Emily right now.

 _(Hatred but also ... resentment.)_  
"Whatever my past, I am not weak." Declared with confidence Emily. "You will always lose to me."

Nate's face tightens.  
"We'll see." He said.

Andy barely has a chance to register what is happening as Nate pulls his gun and points it directly at her and pulls the trigger.  
"NO!" Emily exclaims in terror.

She moves to push Andy Law away of the shot, but it is too slow. The laser bursts into one of the brunette's sides and she falls to the floor screaming in pain.

Every nerve in Andy's body is on fire and she can barely move her fetal position.  
"Arg…" She moaned with tears in her eyes, holding her hands against the laser burn.

Emily leans down beside her, hugging her groom style.

In her haze filled with pain, Andy can see Emily's deep concern.  
"Don't worry, Andy." Emily whispers tenderly. "Don't worry, I'll protect you. "

_(I trust you...)_

Over Emily's shoulder, Andy stole Nate's mouth curling into a vicious growl. He leaps through the air, higher than any ordinary human could ever jump.  
"Em…" Try to warn Andy with a moan.

Emily glances back just in time to see Nate open fire on them.  
"Andy!" Emily yells, worried about her precious cargo.

She leans down to the floor covering the brunette with her body, teeth gritted, Nate's laser fire covering Emily's back.

But despite so many blows, she doesn't let Andy down, holding her tightly against her.

**As Nate hits the ground again ...**

Emily pulls away from him, placing Andy gently behind a garbage incinerator next to a building. For the first times since knowing the redhead, Andy sees her really angry.

_(I mean, I've seen it upset she with some stuff before, but it's something completely different ...)_

As Emily turns to face Nate, Andy  
can see burn marks on the other woman's back.  
"I told you, Alpha." Nate mentions. "Your attachment to your pet makes you weak, your emotions are holding you back."  
"You're about to find out how wrong you are about this, she doesn't make me weak, she makes me stronger." Emily replies with a sharp gaze.

With that, she flies to him, using every ounce of her superhuman speed. She hits him hard with the force of a hover collision, sending him flying backwards.

Nate hits a window, smashes the protective glass, and stands up.  
"It's more like that." He said dusting the glass off of him.

He swings his gun, launching a volley of lasers at Emily! She moves fast, staying right in front of her fire, pulling away shots from where Andy is resting.

_(I'm just a handicap here... why can't I do anything to help?)_

Emily picks up a piece of debris, throws it at Nate, and pulls her gun out of the man's hands.

_(I just have to trust her, Em can do it!)_

Nate responds to his disarmament by rushing towards Emily, his hand wrapped around the redhead's throat as he lifts her off the ground.

_(No! Emily!)_

Emily swings her legs, crushing them in Nate's chest and pulling away from him. She lands on her feet after a backflip and she's on the man again before he gets her  
chance to recover, she attacks him relentlessly, but he suits her punches perfectly.

They trade punches that would break the bones of a normal person, and every time Nate lands a hit, Andy grimaces at the sound.

_(Please, Emily, be fine!)_

Andy watches in horror as Nate land a solid blow to Emily's face, knocking her to the ground.

He jumps on her while she's on the ground, but she manages to roll over and  
deflect from the attack.

_(A trick?)_

With Nate caught off guard, Emily grabs his arm and uses her momentum to send him flying into the cracked glass. It smashes through the window, bouncing against the workshop.

Instead of gaining the advantage, Emily turns to Andy.

_(Does she have a plan to get us out of this situation?)_

Emily runs up to the younger one and takes her with one arm behind her neck and the other under her knees. Apparently without the slightest effort, she picks up Andy and begins to run.

**A few streets further ...**

Emily places Andy on the hood of a flying car stationary, slamming into the driver's side window. She unlocks the vehicle, placing Andy tenderly in the passenger seat before coming to sit next to her in the car.  
"I probably could have unlocked this ..." Andy mentions slightly dizzy.  
"I believe you, but you have to save your strength." Emily says. "And Beta could catch up at any time."

Emily leaves at full speed, navigating the corners of the city with reflexes and precision ...


	17. Combination repair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flying car chase forces Andy to react quickly to help Emily against Nate

**Minutes after stealing a car and fleeing Nate ...**

Andy watches Emily skillfully drive the flying vehicle.

_(Is there something she can't do?)_

Watching the streets and buildings go by is a bit foul-smelling to Andy, so instead she watches Emily mesmerized by the redhead's driving skills.

Emily shows no signs of pain, but Andy can still see the burn marks and cuts from the fight against Nate.

Now that the two women have a little more freedom, Andy checks her own injury.

_(Deep breaths, Andy.)_

The good thing about lasers is that they instantly cauterize wounds. There is some blood, but Nate didn't touch anything vital. It hurts a lot, but it doesn't kill Andy.

Emily takes a quick look at her passenger.  
"How's your injury?" She asks.  
"This is not serious." Andy answers.  
"Thank God." Emily sigh relieved.  
"And you?" Ask the brunette.

Emily takes a moment to think before answering.  
"I'm fine ... I think." She says. "However, my suit was damaged."  
"Is it bad?" Andy asks.  
"The connection to my gun is cut." Explains the soldier. "Without it I can't shoot."

 _(Oh, I've seen this before, it's a safety precaution, so no one else can shoot the gun if taken from them, they usually use high frequency radio waves and low ranges that transmit an authorization signal to the weapon, mixed with an IFF touch sensor in the grip.)_  
"Oh hubble." Andy moans.

 _(Not having Em's gun puts us in serenity_  
 _disadvantages compared to Nate!)_  
"Andy, you are the most talented and skilled engineer I have ever met." Emily then declares. "If anyone can fix it, is it you, do you think you can?"

Andy's heart beats a little faster at the compliment.

_(Does she really mean that?)_

Andy's side hurts and her head is still buzzing. Under ideal circumstances ...

_(I could probably do it, but now?)_

**Before Andy can give Emily her answer ...**

Another flying car advances on the road behind the two women and rushes towards them!  
"This is Beta!" Emily growls, frowning.

Andy tries to turn around in her seat to get a better view, but the injury makes the maneuver a little trickier to handle.

 _(Ow ...!)_  
"It's now or never, Andy!" Emily informs. "Can you make my weapon work?"  
"You can count on me." Andy says.  
"I know." The redhead nods with a slight smile.

Andy's mind is already racing to try to solve the problem. She's never worked with this type of armor before, but she understands all the tech behind it.

 _(Besides, that's why Em thinks I'm such a good engineer!)_  
"What do you need from me?" Emily asks.  
"I have to run a diagnosis for the suit." Explain Andy. "There should be an access point somewhere."  
"There is one." Confirms the redhead. "It's just below the chest."

She swerves quickly, narrowly avoiding an attempt by Nate to divert them from the road, Andy's heart nearly leaps out of her chest.

 _(Emily, I trust you, but I'm also scared for my life right now, no, focus, Andrea, you have a job to do.)_  
"It's going to be complicated." Mention Andy.  
"Do what you have to do." Emily said.

Andy nods in determination.

_(Time to save the day, Andy!)_

She takes out her tablet and searches her bag to find the connection cable.

 _(I'm always one or two ...)_  
"I got you!" Says Andy.

She grabs the cable only to find that it is barely six inches long.  
"Oh shit." She says.  
"Problem?" Emily asks worried.  
"The cable is not long enough." Andy answers  
"You have to sit on me, then." Mention the redhead.

Andy's heart beats strongly again.  
"Wh ... what?" She stutters.  
"Sit on my lap." Emily explains. "I can drive looking over your shoulder."

 _(We don't have time to debate it!)_  
"Good ..." Andy nods.

Emily swerves once again, Nate's flying car creaking into the back corner of theirs.

_(He's so relentless!)_

Andy crosses her leg over Emily's lap and straddles her as the redhead adjusts her arms to maintain control around the engineer.

Their faces are inches apart and Andy can feel her face flush. Emily bends down to clear the segment of armor covering her abdomen.  
"The port is a little hard to come by from that angle." She informs. "Here, let me ..."

She takes Andy's hand and guides the connection cable to the port at the base of her sides, the engineer's fingers brush Emily's bare skin and Andy shivers  
involuntarily.

_(Now is not the time for that.)_

The cable between Andy and Emily brings all the redhead's attention back to driving. The engineer's tablet connects to the suit and it starts extracting diagnostic information from the suit.  
"Hmm ..." She mused.

It doesn't take long to figure out the problem. The damage distorted the IFF transmitter in the chase and corrupted the broadcast signal. Andy begins to perform a comparison analysis between the original signal and the corrupted one.

The two women take a turn at full speed, the almost knocking off Emily's knees!

The redhead uses a hand to stabilize Andy and their eyes meet, faces so close they almost touch.

Then the flying car straightens up and Andy's tablet rings to signal that she has finished her scan.  
"Is that a good sound?" Emily asks.  
"Yeah!" Nods Andy. "I can tell how the damage is distorting the IFF broadcast, so I can modify the original into what the weapon expects ..."

She walks away, when she realizes that Emily probably wasn't looking for an elaborate state, but she gives Andy a soft smile.  
"I knew I could count on you." She told.

Andy blushed, burying her face in her tablet. After a few modifications it obtains confirmation that the signal is updated and that the gun is receiving the signal.  
"Finished!" She proudly declares.

She disconnects the tablet, her fingers brushing Emily's stomach again. Andy replaces the segment of armor and the redhead smiled at she.  
"Can you take control for a moment?" She asks.  
"It wouldn't be the least advisable thing I did today." Andy answers.

The two women step into the seat as Emily grabs her gun and Andy tries to take control of the flying vehicle.

_(I can handle this for Em ...!)_


	18. Let's go from there!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to sow Nate with the rest of the Runway with an injured Andy and an Emily acting strangely

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little chapter

**During the flying car chase against Nate**   
**right after Andy fixed Emily's gun ...**

Emily takes a few shots at Nate out the window, forcing the two women to pull away a bit, but Andy isn't as good a pilot as the redhead.

Before long, they must each return to their respective seats.  
"You played really well, Andy." Compliment Emily.

She takes the controls and Andy returns to her seat on the passenger side.

Emily races the car through the streets, barely managing to stay ahead of Nate. The man continues to try to slam the two women and lead them into the buildings they fly over.

 _(Please don't let this be how I die.)_  
"Hold on, Andrea." Emily advice.

_(I don't think I could grip this seat any harder even if I wanted to!)_

Emily does stunts, hovering the car into an alley where they can't quite fit the vehicle!

She manages to keep the flying car at an angle throughout the course, controlling it with the precision of a professional stuntman. Nate doesn't seem so confident of taking on the same challenge, as he walks right past the alley.  
"Yes!" Gushes Andy. "You lost it!"  
"Not yet ..." Emily replies with a frown.

Nate takes the plane back on the road in front of the two women and Emily barely manages to get around him in time.

 _(I just saw my whole life flash before my eyes ...)_  
"How did he do that?" Wide-eyed Andy asks.  
"'He knows this city better than I do." Emily answers.

She manages to avoid Nate, but barely, rushing forward before as he tries to realign himself to continue to pursue the two women.  
"We've almost reached the city limits." Emily notes. "If we can just get out of this ..."  
"He loses his advantage and we can return to the Runway." Completed Andy.  
"Exactly." Nods the driver.

The two women arrive at the last bend, ready to set off towards freedom. Instead, they end up on a collision course with a huge building!

 _(Even with Em's reflexes, there's no way to stop the car in time!)_  
"We are going to crash!" Andy yells scared.

The two women are heading towards the building at breakneck speed and there is no way to stop in time.

_(This is NOT how I imagined myself dying!)_

Emily flips the rudder controls far right, blasting the vertical thrusters at the same time. The hovercar tilts dangerously to its side, but the additional vertical pressure pushes the two women away from the building at the last moment!  
"How ..." Andy hisses.

Before she can finish her sentence, Nate's flying car passes them, and crashes into the wall before bursting into an explosion.  
breathtaking!  
"It was almost us." Mentions Andy relieved to have escaped unscathed.

Emily gives she a confident smile, though Andy can tell he's paired with a darker shade.

At the same time, they can hear the sound  
distant from more flying vehicles approaching them.  
"We cannot stay here." Emily says.  
"No arguments here." Let Andy know.

**They return to the Runway...**

But with the adrenaline of the chase subsiding, Andy's body begins to remind her of the injury she suffered earlier.

_(Just let us get back to the ship before you start to die on me, my body!)_

The Runway crew keep watch on Emily as the redhead rides the hovercar and they all smile when they see the two women  
approach.

Andy is surprised by the relief to see them again, especially after everything she and Emily have been through on this planet.

Andy tries to open the vehicle door and exit, but the pain dissociates from her wound and it freezes instead.  
"Gah!" She moaned.

Emily looks at her, alarmed. She runs on the passing side of the flying car to help Andy and head for the Runway.  
"Everything is fine?" Miranda asks, raising an eyebrow.  
"You took so long that we were afraid something had gone wrong…" Serena admits.

The two women look at Andrea worried. The young woman tries to give them a reassuring smile, but her face is numb.  
"We can explain once at the shelter in the Runway." Emily said. "For now, we have to get out of this place, and quickly."

She Glances over her shoulder at the city.  
"We didn't weigh long." She adds.

The other members of the Runway nod and they all get on board before the soldiers from Vogues join them.

**Once in the ship ...**

Nigel settles in his cockpit and pulls the Runway away from the planet Pagesix.

**Once they're safe and can breathe again ...**

Everyone's attention returns to Emily and Andy.  
"Is our little Genie correct?" Nigel asks looking at Andy with concern.  
"I'm going to live ..." The young woman answers clenched teeth from the pain.  
"Did you get what you need?" Serena asks.

Grinning, Andy reaches into her pocket and pulls out the storage drive.  
"Everything is here." She declares  
"What about Beta?" Asks Miranda.  
"We blew it up." Replies the engineer.

She does her best to make them smile, but she feels so tired and the pain doesn't abate.  
"The explosion will slow him down." Emily explains. "But he's probably not dead, he's a lot harder to kill than ... most."

 _(She was going to say something else, right? It almost felt like she was going to say 'human' ...)_  
"I hope you bought us some time, at least." Said Miranda.  
"We'll see." Emily sigh.

_(Something's wrong, Em is acting different, I can practically see the black cloud hanging over her head.)_

Andy reaches out to rest it on Emily's arm, but the pain in her side stabs her again and she grimaces. The redhead looks at her completely expressionless and something inside Andy breaks.  
"Come on, Andy." Emily said. "Let's go take care of this wound."  
"Okay." Andy nods.

The others move away so Emily can help Andy get into the soldier's room.

_(Why do I have this awful feeling in my_   
_belly...?)_


	19. No ... don't push me away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While healing Andy, Emily explains her strange attitude and says some sort of thing that hurts the young engineer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anguish in this chapter and the following ones, but no worries all my series aim for a Happy Ending

**In Emily's room after fleeing Pagesix ...**

Emily sits Andy on her bed and, without speaking, removes the young woman's jacket.

Andy lifts her arms so Emily can pull the brunette's top up, as she grimaces in pain. Andy can't read the other woman's expression, and she can feel her stomach turn all the time.

_(Why isn't she saying anything? What's wrong?)_

Andy is almost afraid to look at her wound, but she forces herself to lower her eyes.

_(Oh, thank god.)_

What she sees is certainly ugly, but it's just a burn. No internal damage, just swollen skin and a lot of pain.

_(I'm not going to die after all ...)_

Emily gently applies some of the burn ointment, and although it stings, Andy can feel it working immediately.

Emily bandages the wound and Andy puts her top back on.

_(Please say something, Em.)_

Emily's body language is stiff, almost hostile, and Andy doesn't understand the other woman's change in attitude.

**Finally...**

The tension is too much for Andy and she breaks the silence, like a drowning person going for air.  
"What's wrong?" She asks worried. "Why don't you talk to me not?"

Emily looks at her for a long time and Andy can see waves of shadows of internal conflict in the emerald green eyes. When she finally speaks, Emily's voice is  
low and a little tight.  
"I remembered."  
"Do you remember?" Andy repeats surprised. "Do you remember what? Did you have another flashback?"

Emily shakes her head.  
"Not a flashback." She replies. "I remember everything now."  
"Okay, but isn't that a good thing?" Interrogates Andy.

Everything about Emily's demeanor tells the other woman that no, it's not a good thing, but Andy isn't ready to believe it.  
"Beta ... Nate was right." Emily sigh. "I am nothing more than the creation of a sadistic scientist, a super soldier designed to kill."

She scowls at her own words.  
"I am a monster designed to feel nothing." Emily adds. "To just follow orders, I'm not even HUMAN!"

She turns away, breaking eye contact with Andy. Her attention seems to be fixed on the porthole and the endless emptiness of space extending beyond.

_(Em ... no ... no that's not true!)_

Seeing Emily in so much pain is almost more than Andy can take. It's so different from the redhead, but it's not just that.

_(I can't stand to see someone I care so much get hurt.)_

Andy gets up from the bed and walks over to Emily, standing next to the other woman and also looking out the window. She puts her hand on Emily's shoulder, trying to comfort her, but the redhead removes her and turns around.

 _(Shuts me down.)_  
"Please Em." Andy moans. "Talk to me, don't push me away, I'm here for you."

She can hear her own voice breaking, almost breaking now.  
"Please, Em ..." Andy pleaded with tears in her eyes.

Emily looks at her, an almost angry expression plastered to her face.  
"You do not understand." She hisses. "I was built for destruction Andy, that's the only reason I exist!"

Suddenly, her expression changes, she becomes sorry, gives a sad sigh.  
"And you." She adds, looking Andy up and down. "You are so good and kind, you wanna save people, protect them, I'm not .... you don't need to someone like me around you."

_(NO!)_

Andy can feel her heart breaking when she looks into emerald eyes.  
"Em, that's not true." She declares.  
"Is not it?" Emily said with a raised eyebrow. "It's because of me that you got hurt, Andy, you almost died, it's not safe to be near me, all I do is attract danger."  
"Em ... what are you talking about?" Andy asks with a bad feeling.

She feels the tears flow from her eyes and her whole body trembles.

_(Please don't do this, Em, please.)_

Emily found Andy's gaze, melancholy and determination swimming in the emerald eyes.  
"It would be better if you stayed away from me." Emily says.

Andy's heart suddenly seems to be made of lead and her stomach knots, her mouth is dry.  
"No." She breathes with difficulty. "Em, it's NOT your fault that I got hurt, you're not ..."

Emily shakes her head and something about the gesture takes Andy's breath away.

Emily's gaze hardened, her determination intensifying.  
"You have to go, Andy." She orders.

Her words go through Andy and that's all she can do not to burst into tears.

**Andy leaves Emily's room ...**

She holds back tears as she tries to figure out what just happened.

_(Maybe I need something to eat ... it's been a long day, and I can't handle difficult emotions on an empty stomach.)_

**She goes to the refectory of the Runway ...**

Andy's head begins to spin and her body is weakened. She collapses in a chair and tries to organize her thoughts.

_(It's not like I don't understand why Em is upset, all her memories have given her is a lot to accept, maybe not knowing would have been better? No it wouldn't have changed truth, and she would've been brought back into this story somehow sooner or later, why doesn't she understand that she's so much more than her past makes her though? Em is so much more than a simple killing machine, it protects me from the moment we we met, and although she tries to suppress her emotions, I have seen them show through.)_

Andy sighs loudly by leaning on the chair.

_(I just can't accept that Em is what she can be.)_

Andy gently shakes her head, her brow furrowed.

_(She's NOT like that.)_

Andy's heart feels like it is tied, twisted like a towel you want to wipe water out of.

_(I don't know how to handle being like this pushing back, I care about her so much and I don't want it all to end between us, what am I going to do ...)_


	20. Emily's decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Runway team tries to comfort Andy after Emily's rejection, then the super-soldier makes an unexpected decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The anguish is really in this chapter, you are warned

**In the Runway dining hall, as Andy moped after Emily pushed her away...**

The young woman feels a sensation of pushing on her leg. She looks down and Patricia jump on the chair next to her.  
"Oh hey." Hi Andy with a sad sigh. "Sorry if I bring the mood back."

Patricia taps her gently with her head, then walks away.  
"Cool." Andy comments.

**A few moments later...**

The alien dog comes back into the room, swinging a bowl over its head.  
"Sounds precarious ..." Andy mentions.

Patricia brings she the bowl and Andy realizes that it is for her, she looks inside to see cereal.

_(Oh yeah, cereal is her favorite meal, isn't it? It's really ... cute.)_

Andy gives Patricia a small grateful smile.  
"Thank you my friend." She says.

She takes the bowl of cereal and begins to eat as Patricia jumps next to her again.

_(Okay, eating was a good idea, I can't think properly on an empty stomach.)_

**The rest of the crew walk into the room...**

They notice Andy's expression and immediately sit around the young woman.  
Serena even moves Patricia so she can sit next to Andy.  
"What are you eating, good looks?" She asks.

Andy gives her a small smile, finishing the bowl of cereal.  
"This is ..." She begins.

But she stops before she says anything.

 _(I can't tell them about Em's past, it's out of place.)_  
"It's just something Em said." Sigh Andy.  
"You don't need to share if you don't want to." Nigel points out.  
"I'm just scared." Admits the engineer. "Em goes through a lot, but she doesn't tell me about it, I want to be there for her, but ..."

Andy takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

 _(How to explain to them?)_  
"Em is just ... pushing me away." She lets know. "She thinks she's just a dangerous super soldier and shouldn't be around anyone and…"

_(Oh bubble, that was too much sharing!)_

The others look at her, looking a little confused.

 _(At least I didn't spill EVERYTHING.)_  
"You should just give she time." Miranda advice.  
"Before you boarded the Runway, she never tried to communicate with anyone." Explains Serena. "She was just... professional, not cold, but not very expressive, you know?"  
"It's probably very new to her." Adds Nigel. "We've never seen her care about anyone, like she cares about you."

The fact that the entire crew are trying to cheer she up means a lot more to Andy than they actually say.

_(It's good to have people around me to listen to me and support me.)_

Andy can feel some of her tension melt away and she is starting to feel like everything will be fine after all.

**That's when...**

Emily walks into the room.  
"Good, you are all here." She says. "I have something to announce to you."

Miranda raises an eyebrow in the direction of the redhead.  
"What is going on?" She asks.  
"I will sue Beta." Emily answers. "Alone."  
"What!?" Exclaims Andy.  
"Why?" Nigel is surprised.  
"We found the answers we were looking for." Mention the redhead. "And now I know what I am, Nate-Beta and I were part of the same project, the EMLY project, we are the same."  
"You're not ..." Andy tries.  
"He'll never stop coming after me." Emily Cup. "And I can't let anyone else get hurt, so I go get it instead."

The others look at Emily, all in silence  
shocked. No one, not even Miranda, seems know what to say.

_(Stop her! Tell her not to go!)_

Andy tries to catch Emily's gaze, but the other woman does not look at her.  
"Em ..." Andy breathes, tears in her eyes.  
"I resign from my duties, effective immediately." Emily informs. "Don't follow me."

While everyone is still trying to figure out everything she just said, Emily heads for the nearest escape pod.  
"Emily, wait!" Yells Andy.

The other woman doesn't wait, however.

**Emily climbs into the escape pod and launches out and away from the Runway...**

As soon as the nacelle leaves the ship.

Everyone comes back to reality.  
"What just happened?" Serena asks.  
"Is that obvious, we just lost our soldier to safety?" Miranda replies, her lips pursed.  
"Is it just me, or is it coming out of nowhere?" Nigel asks, rubbing his glasses.

_(She left ... Emily left me.)_

Andy feels like the whole ship has just been overturned. Her whole body feels numb, even though her heart is shaking.  
"We ..." She breathes.

She must stifle a sob.  
"We have to follow her." She declares. "We must bring her back! "

She looks around, but no one moves. Their expressions are all dark but accepting.  
"I don't think that's going to happen." Said Serena.  
"Don't you care about her at all?" Growls Andy angry.  
"We care about her enough to let her go if that's what she wants." Against Miranda.  
"But ..." Try the engineer.  
"We have to respect her decision, Andrea." Cut the captain. "We are not Vogue, we cannot force someone to do things they don't want to do, even if that..."

Miranda doesn't finish her sentence, but whatever. Andy's whole body is shaking with pain, rejection and anger now.

_(How can they just let her go? Don't they care about her at all? Every second that they sit here and do nothing, she just goes further and further away!)_

Andy's body moves almost on its own. Barely away from what she is doing, she finds herself running towards the bridge.

_(If they won't do anything, I will!)_


End file.
